Meeting New People
by aussiedude777
Summary: Sam and Dean meet a teen boy named Eric.  They let the homeless hunter come with them and pick up a friend of his on the way.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, a few people didn't like my first story, Nerves, so I just wanted to say, I'm sorry if it sucked, and I promise from now on none of my stories will involve people being brought back from the dead. I will no longer include Ellen or Jo in any of my stories, either. Just please don't stop reading all my stories because of one screw-up in the last ones.

**Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever own anything from Supernatural.**

**Chapter 1**

"Did you hear that?" Dean asked his little brother, pointing his flashlight in the direction of the noise. The light reflected off the cold stone walls and revealed mold and little spiders.

"Dean, for the third time tonight, I didn't hear a thing."

"Dude, I'm not making this up. I heard metal clanging coming from over there. This is the fourth time I heard it."

"I think you're imagining things. I haven't heard anything since we got here."

"Four times, Sam. I've heard it four times. I'm not imagining anything."

He heard the sound again and whipped his flashlight in the direction the sound was coming from.

"Damn it!" he shouted, "That's gonna drive me completely insane!"

"I can't believe it. You were serious."

"You heard it this time?"

Sam nodded and walked toward where Dean's flashlight was pointing. Just then, they heard the sound of rocks being kicked and a loud voice said, "Shit! Stupid rocks!"

Dean rounded a corner and raised his gun. Before him stood a boy about sixteen years old with dark brown hair and lighter brown eyes. The boy held up his own gun, one-handed.

"Who the hell are you?" the boy asked in a slight Australian accent.

Dean glared at the boy, "Who the hell are _you_?"

"Don't start that. I asked you first!"

"I'm not starting anything! You're just a kid!"

"Dean, stop that," Sam said. He walked into the small room and looked at the other boy, "I'm Sam Winchester and this is my brother, Dean. Now. Who are you?"

"Eric. Eric Fuller."

"Okay, Eric," Dean said, trying to sound calm, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm a hunter. Winchesters? Related to John Winchester?"

"Yep," Sam said, "He was our father."

"Really?" Eric lowered his gun slightly and then held it back up, "Wait, how do I know you aren't shapeshifters?"

"Well, for one thing, you don't see our eyes changing color, do you? For another... nevermind, I don't have another reason. But we're not. Now, how do we know you're not one of them?"

"Same reasons I suppose. I'm really not."

Dean scoffed, "That's what any shifter would say. We need a real test."

"Like what, Dean?" Sam asked, "How are we going to prove he's not a shifter?"

"I don't know."

"Wow. That's your great plan? How is that gonna work, Dean?"

"Just shut up, Sam."

"Do you two always do this?"

"Yeah. Pretty much," they said at the same time.

The same metallic clanging sounded through the room, causing all three hunters to look around.

"What is that?" Dean asked, getting agitated, "It's been doing that all night."

"I don't know," Eric said, "I've been hearing it, but I can't figure out where it is, either."

"It's driving me insane!"

"You still never answered the question," Sam pointed out, "Why are you down here? You're just a kid."

"I'm sixteen. You don't have to be thirty to be a good hunter, you know."

"I'm twenty-seven," Dean said.

"Close enough."

"I don't like you."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to call you old, but you get what I'm saying, right?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah, we get it. But you shouldn't be down here. Shifters are really dangerous."

"No more dangerous than an agrivated bear," Eric shrugged.

"And you know this how?"

"I watch TV. I'm not stupid. Bears aren't nice when they're agitated. Shifters may be able to shift into other things, but they're still fairly human. They're a cinch to kill."

"Dude, did you just say 'cinch'?" Dean asked, grinning.

"Yes. I did."

The clanging started again and this time, Eric took off. He sprinted through the darkened halls with Sam and Dean right behind him. They turned another corner and Eric skidded to a halt. There was a large cage in the center of the room with two people in it. One was a sixteen year old girl with blond hair and green eyes. The other was a boy, about fourteen years old with black hair and blue eyes. The two shook the metal bars and broke into hysterical laughter. Fear was written on their faces and the girl's eyes suddenly got wide. Eric whirled around when he heard a gun shot. A man stood in the doorway, holding a gun of his own. His eyes sparkled white and he was smiling.

He lifted his head up a little and Dean and Sam were thrown into a wall.

"Aw, shit," Eric muttered.

A/N That's the end of this chapter. Hope you enjoyed, and don't worry, there's a reason it was Sam and Dean, and I'll get to that in the next chapter. Not gonna say AUSSIE SMILES this time. Too much effort for nothing. Please review. Many thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"This is gonna be fun," laughed the man in the doorway, "I wonder what sound your bones would make if I crushed them all?"

"Possibly the same as if I broke your nose right now, Gabe," Eric retorted.

"Now, is that anyway to treat your brother?"

"You're not my brother anymore. You sold your soul, remember?"

"Yes, I do remember that. Sold it to save Ariah, if I do recall correctly. Look how that turned out."

Eric cringed. Ariah had been Eric's twin sister. She had died when they were thirteen and the entire family was broken up over it, so Gabe sold his soul to bring her back and she turned out to be evil. Ariah killed Gabe two years later and Gabe took over the lesser demons. He may not have been all-powerful, but he was deadly when faced alone.

"That wasn't her fault, Gabriel."

"Yes, it was, because it sure as Hell wasn't mine."

"Well, if you've got it in for her, then why bother me?"

"Because you're there. You're in my way. I can't hunt her down if you're hunting her. She'll avoid you like a plague just because you're her fraternal twin. Only now, she's still thirteen, and you're, what? Fifteen?"

"I'm sixteen, Gabe."

"Whatever. I'm still going to kill you. Maybe then she'll stay in one spot for more than one night."

"You can't beat a thirteen year old girl? That's sad, Gabriel. That's really sad."

Gabriel glared at him and suddenly, Eric was thrown against the wall behind him. He groaned as his knee popped when he hit the ground. Carefully using the wall for support, he stood up and threw a knife at his brother's head. The knife stopped in midair and Gabriel smiled as it pointed toward the head of the girl in the metal cage. Eric growled and rolled his eyes.

"Show off," he mumbled.

"Yes. I think I am a show off, but I'll bet you can't do that."

Eric shook his head, "No, you're probably right. Then again, I didn't sell my soul. I'm still normal. You're just whacked out."

"Whacked out?"

"Yes."

"You're such a moron, Eric."

"Oh, trust me, I know. And it's your fault. You shouldn't have hit me over the head that much when we were kids."

"Yeah, I know. But I couldn't have you getting smarter than me, now could I?"

He lifted his head again and Eric was slammed into the wall. The knife still floated feet from the cage, and the girl inside was watching it carefully. There was a sickening pain in Eric's abdomen, but he wasn't about to give his brother the advantage by showing pain. If he did show pain, then he would be showing weakness. He tried not to show weakness. Not around his brother. That meant danger. His brother liked being the stronger one, and that sent him on a killing spree most of the time, and he didn't want to give Gabe that kind of satisfaction. Then again, if he didn't show pain, Gabe would probably work harder to inflict it.

Gabe smiled and lowered his head barely, keeping his eyes on his panting brother, "We can be here as long as you like, Eric. I'm not going to stop. If you want me to let you go, all you have to do is yell. Just show me you're in pain, because I know you are. Just yell and I'll let you go. Alive is another story."

Sweat poured down Eric's face in his effort to keep his mouth shut. The pain was getting worse and he didn't know how much he could handle. He had a high tollerance for pain, but hell, the boy wasn't invincible. And he had no way to fight back as long as he was being held against the wall by an invisible force.

"No!" he ground out, "I'm not going to let you do that. Kill me if you have to, but I'm not giving in to you."

"Eric, I don't want to kill you. Don't get me wrong, I will eventually, but first I want you to wallow for a while. Live with the pain, if you will. Now, unless you want me to kill the girl, this innocent girl, I'd suggest you yell."

Eric shook his head and his breath caught in his throat when the pain increased.

"Stop, Gabe, please!" Eric begged. The pain had grown to be to much for him. He was going to die if this kept going.

"Not till you yell. Yell."

Eric moaned and the pain worssened. He didn't think that could have been possible. Then, without warning, a loud yell escaped his struggling lungs.

Gabe smiled triumphantly and dropped Eric. He fell to the ground, struggling to breathe, his whole body aching.

"When are you going to figure it out, little brother?" he asked, "You're not invincible. You're human. Mortal, weak. You can't handle pain; real pain. You need to realize that when I say I won't stop, I won't stop. No matter how much you want me to, no matter how much it hurts to admit that you can feel a lot more pain, I won't stop until you give in."

Gabe laughed as he threw one more powerful hit with his mind into Eric's already agonized stomach. Eric cried out weakly and the edges of his vision started to go black. Before he passed out, Gabe walked over and kicked his little brother in the ribs. Eric's eyesight went completely black and he lay on the ground unconcious.

A/N I didn't involve Sam or Dean much in this chapter. Sorry. This was mainly an explanation and brotherly quarel. The girl is still alive and her brother is too, but they're still trapped in the cage. Please review.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Dean stared up at the ceiling of the hospital and started humming Metallica. He and Sam had been sitting there for three and a half hours and boredom was becoming very friendly with them. The doctor had come out about two hours after they got there and told them that Eric had broken six ribs, fractured his shoulder blade, and suffered from severe internal bleeding. They had reset the bones and bandaged up his arm. The bleeding was more difficult, but they eventually got it under control. He was on the verge of being dead when they got him in.

"Dean, cut it out," Sam said, "That's getting really annoying. There cannot be that many Metallica song in the world. It's impossible."

"If you haven't noticed, Sam, I've been humming the exact same song for the past twenty minutes."

"I don't know. All their songs sound the same to me."

"You're kidding right?"

"Nope, not really."

"Dude, 'Nothing Else Matters', compared to 'Enter Sandman' or 'Unforgiven'? There's a huge difference."

"So? Between their other songs, there is virtually no difference."

"Virtually?"

"You know what I mean, Dean, so stop being a smartass."

"What crawled up your ass and died?"

"What?"

"Why are you so pissy?"

"Did you ask what crawled up my butt and died?"

"Yes."

"You're weird."

"Yeah, I know."

"Okay, just making sure."

"You never answered. Why are you so mad?"

"I don't want this kid to die. If he does, it'll be on our hands, and we'll be responsible."

"No, we wouldn't. We didn't kill the guy."

"Dean, stop. We brought him here. We should be responsible for him."

"Not my fault the kid's brother's a grade A asshole."

"Stop. Just shut up. Hum your music or something."

"Maybe next time you won't tell me to stop humming."

"Shut up."

"Mr... Jackson," said a short bald doctor as he walked over to Dean, "Your brother is ready to go home. Everything seems to be okay. Just make sure he doesn't stay on his feet too much. That could have a bad effect on his ribs. He'll need a few weeks to recover completely, but he should be okay. Just make sure he keeps taking his pain meds. Two twice a day."

"Got it," Dean said.

"Okay, we'll have a nurse bring him out in a few minutes. He's getting changed right now."

"Thanks."

The doctor walked back to work on another patient.

"I really hate that kid, Sam."

"Why? He's a great kid."

"He's annoying. He called me old."

"Dean, he thought you were thirty. So he was three years off, what's the big deal?"

"He thought I was thirty."

"Dean, stop that. It was an honest mistake and it could have been worse."

"Yeah? How?"

"He could have thought you were fourty."

"Shut up."

"What, he could have."

"Shut up, Sam."

"I told you it could have been worse, but you never listen to me, now do you?"

"Sam, I said shut up."

"Why? Mad?"

"I'm serious, Sam, if you don't shut up, I'll shove my foot up your ass."

"Sure you would."

"I would, Sam. Don't try my nerves right now."

"Did you seriously just say that?"

"Shut up!"

"Here he comes. Be nice, Dean."

"Yeah, right."

"Hey, kid," Sam said as Eric came through the waiting room doors, "How you feeling?"

"Better. Got a headache and my knee hurts, plus everything else is sore and I feel like I just got hit by a train, but other than that, I feel great."

"Your knee?"

"Yeah, I have a weak knee. And the bastard dropped me on it. It usually takes a couple days to get over it, but it's fine."

Sure enough, Sam noticed the boy was limping.

"Why do you have a weak knee?"

"No clue whatsoever. All I know is it's weak and my brother uses that to his advantage a lot. Pretty much everytime I fight him."

Dean scoffed.

"What?" Eric asked.

"Nothing."

"No, what?"

"It just seems like you think really highly of yourself."

"What?"

"Well, it's true. I mean, think about it. You distinctly pointed out that you're sixteen when you called me old. Then you make sure not to show any pain when you're being attacked, like you're immortal or something, and now you're shrugging off those injuries like they're nothing. It's a little 'Mary-Sue'ish, don't you think?"

"Okay. One, I am sixteen, and you look like you could be thirty. Two, I try not to show pain around him because when he succeeds in inflicting pain, he goes around killing other people just to show he can do it. Three, I realize I'm not immortal. I'm just a regular human being with a passion for guns and knives. Four, I'm shrugging off these injuries because these pain meds are kick-ass. If I didn't have this medication, I'd probably be screaming my head off because it really does kinda hurt. And five, it's not my fault the writer of this story decided to base me off him. If you're gonna blame someone, blame him."

"Good point. Dean, stop talking," Sam said, "You're just gonna piss the guy off."

"Not my fault."

"Yes it is, now shut up."

Sam turned back to Eric and smiled, "You hungry?"

"I guess."

"Cool. We're gonna go grab something to eat. Wanna come?"

"Sure. Is he gonna kill me?"

"No, Dean won't kill anyone. Right... Dean?"

"I won't kill you unless you scratch my car."

"Not like I'd be driving it."

"I don't care. If you so much as scratch the paint or even bleed on the upholstery, I will kill you with my bare hands."

Eric nodded and held up his uncasted right hand, "I swear I will not scratch, bleed on, or hurt the car in any way."

"Good. Still don't like you."

Eric shrugged, "Just as long as you don't drop me on the side of the road, I'm good with that."

Sam sighed. This was going to be a long few days.

"So, where do you live?" he asked.

"Anywhere. If they don't ask for ID and allow pets, I'm there. I don't like dealing with the whole ID thing unless it's absolutely impossible to get out of it."

"So, basically old motels?"

"Exactly."

"Why pets?"

"I have this... dog. Actually she's a wolf. But she might as well be a chihuahua. She'd never hurt a fly. She just started following me around, so I kept her. Her name's Isis."

"From Egyptian mythology?"

"Yeah. She was lying beside the dumpster behind Isis' Egyptian Antiques. I was working with a particularly nasty spirit there, and it threw me from the second story window into the dumpster. I was lucky there were filled trash bags in it."

"You got thrown into a dumpster?" Dean asked, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, it wasn't fun. Never did get that one taken care of. Couldn't figure it out."

Sam climbed into the passenger's seat of the Impala and Dean sat behind the wheel. Eric made himself comfortable in the backseat and laughed when Dean started the car and Motorhead filled the car.

"What?" Dean asked.

"You don't seem like the guy who'd like Motorhead."

"I don't?"

"Nope. Oldies maybe. Not mullet rock."

"Dude, I hate you so much."

"I was kidding. I love this song, too."

"You better hope you can keep your mouth shut about my music, or I'll throw you off a bridge."

"Sorry."

A/N Okay, there. I admitted it. Eric is mary-sueish. Now please don't yell at me for it and I'll love you forever.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Dean pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant that Eric had recommended and cut the engine. He sat back and stared at the rundown building in front of him.

"This? This is what you call nice?" he asked.

"Hey," Eric said, "I never said it looked nice on the outside. I said the people are nice and they have great food."

"What's their special?" Dean scoffed, "Cockroaches?"

Eric sighed, "Their special is a half pound, jalepeno, triple cheeseburger with fresh-made fries and a large coke."

"Dean, that sounds really really good," Sam said, "Besides, we've seen much worse. Like the Roadhouse. It looks scary on the outside, but not on the inside, remember?"

"Yeah. God, I miss Jo."

"That's not what I meant."

"Who's Jo?"

"She's the daughter of a hunter that our dad used to hunt with. Turns out our dad got her dad killed. Dean's got it bad for her."

"No, I don't, but the girl's hot."

"See?"

"What's she look like?"

"She's blond. That's all I have to say."

"You're strange."

Sam laughed, "You don't have to deal with him 24/7. So, we going in or not?"

Eric nodded and stepped out of the car. Sam and Dean followed him through the doors and they were met by a waitress with long dark hair and light emerald-green eyes. She grinned as Eric walked up to her.

"Eric," she said in a quiet voice, "You look like you just got hit by a bus."

"Thanks, Leila, you look great too."

"Seriously, who kicked your ass? I wanna congratulate him."

"Who dropped a brick on your head, 'cause I want to give them an award."

"Nice comeback. You figure that one out all on your own?"

"Learned from the best. I see you got your face fixed. Two eyes looks much better. How's Bender these days?"

"You know, those Futurama cracks get old after a while."

"Aw, did I hit a button?"

She glared at him and led them to a booth in the back, "What'll it be today?"

"The usual," Eric told her.

She smiled back at him, "Actually, I was talking to the taller, cuter one. What's the point in even asking you? You always order the same thing. So, what'll it be?"

Sam and Dean smiled.

"Whatever he's having," Sam said. Dean nodded.

"Okay, three specials coming right up," Leila said. She turned to leave, and that's when Sam and Dean realized she was wearing roller blades.

"She's wearing roller blades?" Dean asked.

Eric nodded and watched her skate away, "Yeah, it helps her fill more orders in a shorter amount of time."

Dean watched the way Eric stared at her and laughed, "Dude, you like her."

"No! God, no. I'm waiting for her to fall on her ass, so I can laugh."

"I know that look, man. She's totally getting to you."

"If by getting to me, you mean she's annoying the hell out of me, then yes. She is."

Sam shook his head, "Why do you two fight like that?"

"Because, she had this major crush on my brother; she's sixteen, by the way. She was constantly over at our house and she kept going through my video games and yelling about the ones she liked. Then she told my brother I was smoking weed and he told my mom and I got in trouble. She's a bitch."

"I heard that," Leila said, skating up behind him, "And I found it in your room."

"You didn't have to tell Gabe. I was grounded for three months, and it wasn't even mine."

"Well, then whose was it, because I sure as hell didn't put it there."

"That doesn't mean it was mine!"

"You had your own room and you didn't have a girlfriend!"

Eric jumped up and looked down at her. He wanted to yell, but he couldn't think of anything to say. So, instead, he just sat back down. Leila set three glasses of Coke on the table and skated back to the counter. A few minutes later, she came back and roughly set Eric's plate in front of him, and gently placed Sam's and Dean's in front of them. She turned to Eric and the area around her eyes was red, like she'd been trying not to cry.

"Okay, Eric. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I loved your brother, I'm sorry I make those jokes, and I'm sorry I even met you. Happy now? You win."

She turned to leave again and he grabbed her arm. She turned to face him, her jaws clenched.

"Let me go, Eric," she said.

"Lei, I'm sorry I called you a bitch, and I'm sorry I've made your life a living Hell. But we were fifteen and he was eighteen and had a fiancee. You just wouldn't give up, and I couldn't figure out why. I'm sorry I've been treating you like crap, but it's just so frustrating."

"Eric, let me go, I have work to do."

"From now on, I swear I will only make those jokes for fun. Not to try to hurt you, okay? Deal?"

"Fine. And I swear I will not try to piss you off on purpose. Now would you please let go of my arm? You're kinda hurting me."

"Sorry."

She smiled weakly and started to leave. Eric faced Sam and Dean. She shrieked and Eric turned just in time to see a man come through the door and grab her around the waist. The man smiled at her and she tried to shrug out of his iron grip.

"What do you want, Joe?" she asked, furious.

"You know what I want."

"Joe, I'm sixteen. It's kinda illegal."

"So is everything else you do, Leila."

"You're hurting my waist, stop."

"No. I've waited long enough, and I'm through with it."

"Well, you're gonna have to wait longer, I'm already taken."

"By who?" he asked, getting angry.

"By, uh... by... Eric."

"What?!" Eric shouted.

"Yeah, by Eric."

Eric glanced back at Sam and Dean, who just shrugged.

"That worm of a boy?" Joe asked.

"Yeah. He's my man."

Eric shook his head and sighed, "What is she getting me into?"

"I'll fight you for her," Joe told Eric. Eric's head shot up and his eyes got wide.

"What?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll fight you for her."

"Joe," Leila protested, "You're twenty. You're too old for me. Besides, he's hurt. You can't fight him, it wouldn't be fair."

"No one ever said I was fair."

Eric stood up, "Joe, just let her go. I can't fight you. I just got out of the hospital, I can't do much in the way of defense."

"So?"

Leila sighed and shoved on Joe's chest, "Let me go."

"No."

She growled and punched him hard in the jaw. He stumbled back and she kicked him hard between the legs, making him fall forward in pain.

Dean hissed as he watched Joe fall. Sam was laughing, and Eric just watched in awe. Leila shoved her hair behind her shoulder and skated over to them.

"I'm good," she said.

Eric smiled, "I almost feel sorry for the poor guy. And if you ever put me in that situation again, I'll stab you in the face with a rusty fork."

"Of course you will," she said, rolling her eyes, "You guys need anything else?"

Sam and Dean shook their heads and watched as Joe pulled himself up.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Sam asked, "He looks like he's seriously hurt."

"Well, I kicked him with a roller blade, so I'd say he's pretty sore. That's what he gets for hitting on me."

She skated back to the front of the restaurant and took care of another table's order.

Dean laughed, "She's something else."

"Yeah," Eric sighed, "She's weird."

"I still think you like her."

"Nope. Just friends."

Sam shrugged, "Who cares? She's pretty cool."

"Well, then you date her. She's insane."

"Says you," Dean scoffed, "Man, if I were eleven years younger, I'd definitely take her out."

Eric raised an eyebrow, "Okay, awkward."

Dean shrugged.

A/N There. Chapter 4. I'm sorry if it sucks, but I had to have someone who would get under Eric's skin. Please review. Haven't been getting a lot of them lately, and I need to know what to change.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The three finished their burgers, chatting off and on with Leila, who seemed a little paranoid after her run in with "Jackass Joe", as Leila put it. They paid for their lunch and walked out of the restaurant. On their way to the car, Eric's legs collapsed out from under him. Sam and Dean turned around and saw him with his casted arm on one knee and the heel of his other hand pressed into his temple. He moaned in pain and Sam grabbed his shoulder.

Eric looked up at Dean and blinked against the sun that was harrassing his sore eyes.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked. He well knew what happened.

"She's killing people. Just anybody she sees in her path."

"Who?" Dean asked, confused.

"Ariah. My twin. She's coming after me, and Gabe's going after her."

"So? He wants to kill her, right?"

"Yeah, but she wants to kill me. I don't know why. I was nice to her. Well, there was that one time, I accidentally hit her in the head with a basketball, but I didn't mean to."

"Get to the point, kid!" Dean yelled.

"SORRY! The point is, she's coming here, and there are people in that restaurant. Innocent people. If they witness a fight like that, it could be catastrophic."

"Why do you try to sound so smart?" Dean groaned.

"That means it could be really bad."

"I know what catastrophic means!"

"SORRY!!"

"Dean!" Sam shouted, "Try to be civilized. He's in pain. Visions hurt, dumbass."

"You know what? I give up. I'm just going to sit in the car until you two think of a plan."

"Eric?" Leila said, running from the restaurant. She sat down in front of him and moved his hands from in front of his eyes, "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Listen, something's going to happen. I can't explain it to you, but you need to get everyone in that restaurant on the ground and out of sight from the door. Hurry."

"It's about Ariah, isn't it?" she asked.

He nodded, "How'd you know?"

"I have my sources. Do we have time to get them home?"

"No, she's almost here. Get everyone down. Get them behind the bar, just get them out of sight. She's killing everyone she comes across to get to me."

"Why does she want to kill you?"

"I don't know. I'm the nice one. What could she... nevermind, just get them down. We don't have time to figure things out right now."

Leila nodded and started to run back inside. She skidded to a halt and turned back around, "Eric?"

He turned to face her.

"Be careful, okay? I need someone to pick on."

"One-eyed freak."

"Sasquatch."

He rolled his eyes and watched as she went back inside.

"ERIC, LOOK OUT!" Dean shouted from the Impala. Eric turned around and he and Sam were thrown across the dirt parking lot.

"SAMMY!"

Eric turned his head. Sam was struggling to catch his breath after they landed flat on their backs, and he realized that his breath was knocked out as well. He gasped and coughed as he caught his breath and stood up. In front of the Impala was a smaller girl. She was wearing a black t-shirt, black leather pants, black ballet shoes, and her long brown hair was held back by a black ribbon. All the black made her usually tanned skin look pale white.

"Hello, Eric," she said. Her voice was tiny, but held so much fury that it actually made him cringe.

"Ariah."

She smiled and held up her hands. Two balls of fire sprung from her palms and she threw them at him. Before they hit him, a figure stepped in front of him, stopping the fire. Eric looked to the side and saw that Sam was sitting there watching everything.

The figure started to fall, and Eric caught her. He tilted her head back and his jaws clenced.

"Leila."

A/N TADAAH! There's chapter five. And I have to say, that was harder than I thought it would be.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"God, please Leila, say something," Eric begged. Ariah was laughing her head off and it was all Eric could do to keep from dropping Leila's head and kicking the thirteen year old's ass.

"I really hate you, Sasquatch," Leila croaked, "Next time you want to get yourself killed, please leave me out of it. How bad is it?"

Eric laughed and scanned the burn marks on her skin, "Nothing too bad, I suppose. But your face is screwed over. Looks like you might have to get your one eye back."

"What?! What's wrong with my eye?"

"Nothing, but I couldn't think of any other Futurama jokes to use at the moment."

"You suck, dude."

Eric sighed and turned to a laughing Ariah. He glared at her and jumped when he saw his brother appear behind her. Ariah turned in time to dodge the knife that Gabe had thrown at her. Eric ducked and the knife stuck two inches in the wall of the restaurant. Eric glanced at Sam, who was staring at the knife.

"Sam, get Leila and go inside. Make sure no one else comes out here."

"What about you?"

"I HAVE to kill Gabe. It's a revenge type thing. Just make sure nothing happens to them. Okay?"

Sam nodded and helped Leila stand up. They rushed into the restaurant and hid behind the counter.

Eric stood up and Gabe flashed a glare his way. He flew back into the wall and heard it crack from the impact.

"Damn it!" he yelled, "Stop throwing me! Ow, my back."

Stars danced in front of his eyes and he saw Dean smiling from the Impala, amused at him being thrown.

"Shut up, Dean!" he yelled, "That's not funny!"

Dean leaned out of the window, "Yes, it was!"

Eric rolled his eyes and walked toward his siblings. He paused for a moment to rub the back of his head and looked up just in time to dodge his sister's roundhouse kick. He used his casted left arm to knock her feet out from under her and felt Gabe hit him square in the spine with his elbow. Eric groaned and stumbled to his feet. He kicked Gabe in the stomach and Gabe stumbled backward for a few seconds. Ariah stood up and kicked Eric's arm.

"Ow, damn!" he exclaimed, hitting her in the face with his good arm.

Gabe hit Eric in the side of the face, and dodged a punch from Ariah. Eric kicked Ariah and she punched his nose.

"OW!" he cried, nursing his broken, bloody nose, "Stop hitting me!" He pointed at Gabe, "Hit him!"

"Now, why would I do that?" she asked, "I want to kill you."

"Shut up!" Eric cried.

She punched him hard in the stomach and he fell backward. Gabe laughed and Ariah pull out a knife and shove it through Gabe's chest. Gabe stared down at the weapon before bursting into flame.

Eric watched, stunned as Gabe actually pleaded for help from him.

"Eric, please! Help! Please, help me, Eric! I'm begging! Help!"

Eric turned his head and felt the tears burning the back of his throat. This didn't look like the demon Gabe. This was his brother. The one he always went to for help, advice, everything. But it was a demon. He couldn't do anything to help him if he wanted to. He knew the knife was poisoned. He couldn't do anything.

"Eric!" Gabe shouted before he dissolved and the wind blew his ashes away.

Eric looked up and saw Ariah right in front of him.

"Your turn, Eric," she told him.

Eric sighed and stood up. She hit him in the stomach, and he just stood there and took it. She growled after a few punches and hit him with a sharp punch to the throat. He passed out and Ariah stood triumphantly over his limp body with a third knife.

"Eric, get up!" Dean shouted.

He didn't move. Leila, who was watching helplessly from the restaurant window, screamed Eric's name as Ariah pressed the knife to his throat. Beads of thick red blood trickled from his skin.

"ERIC!" Dean, Sam, and Leila shouted.

A/N Oooh, cliffhanger. MUAHHAHAHAAH! Please tell me what you think.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Leila pounded on the restaurant window as Ariah made a thin line of blood across Eric's shoulder blade. Dean stepped out of the Impala and raised his gun. Ariah smiled to herself and blinked once, sending Dean flying into a tree. Ariah pressed harder, cutting into his muscles. They twitched slightly and she smiled as the torrents of blood gushed from his skin.

This was too much for Leila. She collapsed to the hardwood floors of the restaurant and cried into her hands.

"No!" she shouted, punching one of the booths. Her knuckles split and started to bleed. Sam walked over to her and examined her bloody hand. He found a thick, unused napkin and wrapped her knuckles.

They both jumped as a loud gunshot was heard outside. Leila sat on her knees and looked through the window. There was another boy standing there. He had dark brown hair that came to his jawline and dark blue eyes. Ariah was looking down at a bullet wound that was in her chest. She smiled and tried to throw him. He tilted his chin up slightly, and instead of him going flying, Ariah soared backward and hit a metal shed, which dented under her weight.

Sam wrapped his arm around her shoulder so that she wouldn't leave. She shrugged out of his grip and walked through the doors. Ariah speed-walked back toward the new boy and shoved him hard in the chest. He used that chance to swing at her. His fist met her nose and there was a loud crack. Ariah's eyes watered. She glared at the intruder and disappeared.

Sam followed Leila across the parking lot to where the new boy was checking on Eric.

Leila lifted Eric's head and pushed a strand of his hair out of his face. She turned to the boy and cleared her throat, "Who are you?"

He smiled, "If I tell you my name, do you promise not to laugh?"

He had a slight, almost unnoticable New York accent.

Leila nodded.

"My name's Emerald Brooklyn. My parents sucked."

She smiled and her eyes roamed over the deep gash on Eric's shoulder. Sam crossed his arms, "So how'd you do that?"

He shrugged, "I'm psychic. I'm better at controlling my telekinetic and telepathic side. It's just easier. And I swear if you actually hit me, I won't hesitate to hit you back."

Sam's jaw dropped.

"I told you. Telepath. I can hear your thoughts. And don't worry, he's fine. It's not too deep. Should be pretty easy to stop the bleeding. Nothing. You, go check on your brother. I'm pretty sure he's fine, but do it anyway."

Sam glared at him, "How old are you?"

"If I said I was twenty would you do it?"

He shook his head.

"Well, since that wouldn't work, I'm seventeen. Would you just please go check on him?"

Sam stalked off and inspected Dean for any injuries. Emerald looked back at Leila and smiled.

"So, are you and Eric together?" he asked.

Her head shot up and she glared at him for a moment before remembering that he could hear her thoughts.

"No, we're just friends. That's all."

"Uh-huh."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"What did you say that for?"

"It's just, he seems to like you. You're in most of his memories."

"Well, we've known each other for years, so I'd say I should be."

"So, if you two aren't a couple, d'you wanna go out sometime? To a movie or something?"

Leila looked at him shocked. She hardly knew the guy. Why was he asking her out after knowing her for no more than a minute?

"Because you're cute," he answered matter-of-factly.

She looked back down at Eric as he stirred. He tried to sit up, but the pain from the gash in his chest muscles stung and he leaned back in Leila's lap.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked.

"I'm Emerald Brooklyn. Laugh and I'll cause you some serious pain."

Eric rolled his eyes and looked up at Leila, "How you feeling?"

She smiled, "I've been better. Is my face actually burned or is it just red?"

"Just red. It's not that bad."

Emerald snickered, "And you said you don't like him."

"I like him as a friend!"

"You still never answered the question," he said.

"No! I won't go out with you!"

"Ouch."

Eric shot up, "What?! You asked her to go out with you?!"

"Well, she said you two weren't a couple. I had free rights."

"She's not an object, you jackass!"

"Oooh," he said, "You be touchy."

"I am NOT touchy!"

Leila helped Eric stand up, "Well, Emerald Brooklyn, it's been nice meeting you. Sam? Can you get Eric out of here? I have to take care of the store."

Sam nodded and kept patting Dean's cheek, "Dean! Wake up!"

Dean blinked and looked at his brother, "Sammy, I swear if that turns red, I'll kill you."

"Whatever. Can you stand up?"

Dean nodded, "I'm not crippled, dumbass."

"Wow. Remind me never to let you get knocked out again. You're a little moody."

"No. I'm sore. You're driving. If you hurt the car, I'll kick your ass."

"Okay, Dean."

Dean handed him the keys and slipped into the passenger's seat. Eric climbed into the back and they waited for Sam. Sam walked into the restaurant and told everyone it was safe.

Leila stood outside, trying to jerk the knife from the wall. It was stuck pretty good.

"Why wouldn't you go out with me?" Emerald asked behind her.

"Because, you're not my type."

"Why?"

She turned around with a sigh, "Because, I just don't want to go out. Okay? Satisfied?"

He shook his head and moved closer to her, pinning her against the wall.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her heart pounding.

"Nothing."

She was frozen to the spot. She didn't know if she could trust this guy. Was he safe?

"Trust me," he whispered, his face mere centimeters from hers, "I'm not a bad guy."

With that, he pressed his lips to hers, forcing her head back.

Eric and Dean watched in awe from the Impala, and Sam stood in the doorway to the restaurant. Eric leaned his head on the back of Dean's seat and sighed.

A/N Tear, tear, cry, cry. Poor Eric. Please review.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Leila stood in shock, unable to move, while Emerald's hands slid down the front of her shirt to her waist. He pulled her possessively to himself, and she shoved his chest. He hardly stumbled, but pulled his head back. She slapped him hard across the face and he stepped back.

"Don't you EVER touch me like that again!" she screamed, "You stupid asshole! Who the HELL do you think you are? And don't ever think for one SECOND that I'll even CONSIDER going out with you after that! You JERK!"

She yelled at the top of her lungs in frustration and stalked off to Dean's car. She knocked on Dean's window and he rolled it down.

"D'you think I could get a ride home so I don't have to hitchhike?" she asked. Dean nodded and kept glaring at the stunned boy next to the restaurant. Leila slid into the backseat beside Eric and Sam walked over, climbing behind the wheel.

"You okay back there?" Sam asked Leila.

She scoffed, "Hell no! I was just violated by some New York moron!"

Eric's head shot up, "He _violated_ you?! Sam, turn the car around! I'm gonna go kick his ass!"

Leila blushed, and her face turned bright red, despite the already red tinge from the burns, "No, don't worry about it. I can take care of myself."

"Leila, how did he violate you?" Eric asked, worry written on his face.

"It's nothing, Eric, really."

"HOW?!"

She sighed in defeat, realizing she wouldn't get out of this easily. "He touched my chest," she whispered.

Sam turned down the radio, his eyes wide. Dean spun around in his seat, and something in Eric's jaw ticked.

"He what?" he asked through tightly clenched teeth.

"Eric, it's not that big a deal," she insisted.

He laughed maniacally, "Like Hell it isn't! Sam, turn the car around now."

Sam shrugged and made a legal u-turn, heading back toward the restaurant.

"Eric, this really isn't necessary. It wouldn't be the first time."

This seemed to really get to Eric. He turned to face her and his eyes narrowed, "What?"

"Nothing."

"You've had that happen to you before?"

"Why do you even care, Eric? You hate me, remember? I loved your brother and you hated me for it."

Eric's face softened and his mouth parted slightly, "Lei, I don't hate you. I've never hated you. I'm just trying to help."

"Why? You don't care what happens to me. You never have."

He leaned back on the inside of the door, shocked, "Leila, that's not true. I care what happens to you. I always have, I was just frustrated. I'm sorry."

They pulled into the restaurant parking lot again and saw that Emerald was still standing there. He watched the car pull in and started to walk toward it. Eric stepped out of the car and slammed the door. He speed-walked toward Emerald and stood right in front of him. Eric was at least three inches taller than Emerald, but the shorter boy stood tall and fearless. Eric's breathing was short and angry. His fists were clenched and his jaw was tight.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked, "You get your enjoyment out of sexually harrassing girls?"

Emerald's confident smile fell and his face turned ghost white, "She told you?"

"Yes. How can you be such an asshole?"

"I'm sorry. I got caught up in the moment."

"Yeah, the moment you forced on her!"

"Hey, I said I was sorry!"

Eric pushed Emerald and the shorter boy fell.

"You think 'sorry' is gonna cut it? 'Sorry' isn't gonna make what happened any less true!"

He punched Emerald in the face and the boy's head jerked back. Eric kicked him in the stomach and Leila and Sam jumped out of the car.

"Eric!" Leila shouted, "Stop!"

Eric turned around and got his legs kicked out from under him. He fell, and as Emerald was trying to get up, he grabbed his ankles and pulled him back down. He straddled the other boy and beat his face. He found himself flying through the air and he skidded on the dirt. He stood up and Sam grabbed his shoulders to hold him back. Emerald walked forward and Sam stood between them.

"Stop!" he cried, "That's enough! I swear, the next one to throw a punch is doomed!"

The two boys looked at each other. Emerald was sporting a bloody nose and probably a bruised rib or two. Not to mention his jaw was turning a nice shade of purple.

Leila walked forward and touched Eric's chest lightly, "Eric, stop. He's not worth it."

Eric glanced down at Leila's hands and smiled, "Fine. But the next time anyone touches you like that, I'll kill them."

She smiled and pressed harder on his chest, "Okay. Let's just go get in the car."

He looked over her shoulder at Emerald, and the look in his eyes made the older boy flinch.

"I don't know who you are, Emerald Brooklyn," Eric growled, "Or why you think you can get away scott free after touching a girl I know like that, but I swear to God, you try that again and you won't live to see your next birthday."

Emerald actually stepped back a few steps. Leila and Eric walked back to the car and climbed in. Eric sighed and leaned back in his seat.

Leila laughed quietly, "He was afraid of you. Did you see it?"

Eric smiled, "Yeah."

"How you feeling?"

He shrugged, "I wish I could have killed him, but I'm fine. Dude can pack a punch. My jaw hurts."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause a fight."

He laughed, "You didn't cause it. He started it, so don't apologize."

"Well, you could have gotten hurt."

"I didn't, though. Not too badly. Just some scratches."

Sam climbed back into the car and glanced at Dean, who was just smiling.

"What's so amusing?" he asked.

"Yeah," Eric added, "You seem pretty happy up there."

"That was the funniest-looking fight I've ever seen."

Eric scoffed and closed his eyes. Leila snickered, and Sam just shook his head as they pulled back out of the parking lot.

A/N Yet another Mary Sue section. My B. Please review.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Okay, this is it," Eric said, pointing at a very old motel. Sam pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine.

"You guys sure you don't mind me tagging along?" he asked. Both Sam and Dean shook their heads. Eric smiled.

"Eric," Leila said, "You pick the crappiest places to stay. I told you, there was plenty of room in my hotel room.

He nodded, "Yes, but that would be awkward."

Sam, Dean, and Leila followed Eric to a room at the far side of the motel. He pulled a key from his pocket and shoved it in the lock. He opened the door and a silver wolf jumped up on Eric, her thick tail wagging madly. Eric patted the top of her head and pushed her paws off his shirt.

"Guys," he explained, "That's Isis. You can pet her if you want. She doesn't bite. Hard."

Sam smiled and petted the top of the dog's head. She licked his face affectionately, her tail still beating the floor.

Leila stood by the door and stared at the wolf. She didn't look comfortable.

Dean sat on one of the beds and watched the dog and Sam. Sam seemed so much younger next to Isis.

Eric walked over to where Leila was standing and followed her gaze, "What's up?"

"Nothing. Just... nothing."

"It's not nothing. Isis wouldn't hurt you. She's especially fond of women. Just pet her. You'll see."

Leila shook her head sharply, "No, I can't. She's a wolf. She might have..."

"Rabies?" he finished for her, "No, I had her checked out. She's clean. She bathes once a week and I make sure to take her in public so she's not afraid of people. She's harmless. Trust me."

She sighed shakily and Eric took her hand. He led her toward where Sam sat, patting Isis' head. Isis jumped up happily when she saw Leila and Eric coming. Leila shrieked and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Isis. Down," Eric commanded. Isis obeyed and her tail wagged against Sam's leg. He looked at Leila and sighed, "Leila you can open your eyes. She's not gonna hurt you. I promise."

Leila slowly opened her eyes. Sam and Dean were watching her carefully, making sure Isis didn't snap. Isis whimpered quietly.

"Sit down in front of her," Eric whispered. Leila shook her head. Eric put his hand on her back, "Leila, she's never gonna get used to you if you don't let her. I promise if she does bite you I'll take care of it. I promise."

A small tear rolled down Leila's face. Eric realized she was terrified of Isis and pulled her close to him.

"Leila, I promise. She won't hurt you. She's a wolf, but she's perfectly harmless. I won't let her bite you, Lei. Trust me on this one."

He knelt on the floor next to Sam and ran his hand down Isis' smooth coat. Isis stretched out and licked Leila's ankle. Leila stepped back a bit.

"Leila, please. She's just trying to be nice."

Leila sighed and knelt down on shaking knees, grabbing frantically for Eric's free hand. Isis crawled forward slowly, keeping her head down. She put her head on Leila's knee and whimpered.

"She wants you to pet her. She won't bite. Won't even snap, you just have to let her know you're not afraid."

"But I am!" Leila shouted. Isis jumped, but didn't snap. Her ears pricked and she watched Leila carefully. No doubt if Leila tried to hit Eric, Isis would fight.

Leila continued, "I'm terrified of dogs, Eric. Any dogs."

Eric squeezed her hand, "You shouldn't be. Not all of them will tear your head off when they first see you. Isis wouldn't hurt anyone unless they tried to hurt me. You'll be fine. If you don't want to pet her, at least just let her smell your hand so she can see you're safe."

Leila sighed again. She could see there was no use arguing with him. He'd just keep going at it. She held out a shaking hand and Isis' tail went crazy. Isis sniffed her hand for a moment before licking it affectionately.

"See? I told you she wouldn't hurt you."

Leila still looked uncomfortable. Eric sighed and shook his head, "You're still nervous, aren't you?"

She nodded. Isis stood up and licked Leila's cheek. Leila's eyes softened and her body loosened up. She raised her hand to Isis' head and ran it over the smooth fur that covered the dog's skull. Then, she smiled. Isis nudged Leila's chin and Leila scratched behind the dog's ear.

"Okay, so maybe you were right," Leila said, "She's not that bad."

"I know. That's what I was trying to tell you. Why were you so afraid of her?"

Leila shrugged, "I had a runin with a pitbull when I was eight. Scared me to death."

"I'm sorry."

Then, Dean's phone rang. Isis paused and walked over to Dean, sniffing his jacket pocket. She looked up at him and back down.

"Alright, I'm answering it," Dean said. Sam and Eric laughed. Isis went to a corner of the room and brought back a squeaky toy. She placed it in Leila's lap and Leila threw it across the room.

"Hey, Bobby," Dean said.

"Dean, got a case for you."

"Already?"

"Yeah. You think you're up for it?"

"Bobby, I don't even know what it is yet."

"Oh, right. There've been a few deaths at a fancy restaurant called Barcelona's in Nashville, Tennessee."

**A/N I don't know if there really is a Barcelona's in Nashville, but I wanted to make a fancy restaurant that had dancing. So I just made it up. If there really is a Barcelona's in Nashville that has dancing, then I say WOW!**

"Barcelona's?"

"Yep. Apparently a girl died there a few years back and she's been killing the younger girls there in the same way she died."

"How'd she die?"

"Some guy took her back to the kitchen and slit her throat with a butcher's knife."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. So, you up for it?"

"Sure, but first we gotta find someone to play bait. How old was this girl?"

"Uh, hang on. She was..."

Dean heard Bobby going through some papers.

"She was, uh, going on seventeen. Her parents were rich. Her latest victims have been sixteen and seventeen year old girls."

"Sixteen, huh?"

Dean looked at Leila, who was now wrestling with Isis on the floor.

"Dean, you still there?"

"Yeah, I think I just found some bait. Later, Bobby."

"See ya', Dean."

Dean flipped his phone closed and looked at Sam.

"So, what was Bobby up to?" Sam asked.

"He found us a case."

"What is it?"

"Sixteen year old girl was killed in Barcelona's a few years back. Been killing sixteen and seventeen year old girls lately. He wants us to check it out. We need some bait, though."

Dean looked back at Leila and Sam followed his eyes.

"Dean, no!"

"Why not?"

"Because, what if something goes wrong?"

"We're just going to check it out. Nothing big."

"That is big, Dean! She's been killing sixteen year olds, too."

"Yeah, which is why we have to take care of it soon."

Eric realized what was going on and shook his head, "Why her, Dean? Why not some other random girl?"

"Because. She's sixteen and she's a girl. She fits the profile."

"I'll do it," Leila said, "I haven't done a case in a long time. I need the action."

"Wait, you're a hunter too?" Dean asked, "How many people are turning into hunters these days? We're gonna be taking over."

"I know," Leila said, "But seriously. If there's a ghost killing girls my age, I want to help. When do we leave?"

Eric stood up, "Leila, you're not doing this one. You could get hurt."

"I could die, I know. But I'm gonna do this whether you like it or not, Eric. You can't control me and you know it."

"Leila, please. Don't do this one. We'll find something else for you to do."

"No. I'm doing this one."

"No. You're not."

"I am."

"No."

"Yes."

"Please."

"I'm doing it."

"Leila."

"Eric."

"Guys," Sam cut in, "Stop arguing. Eric, if she wants to do this and she's a good enough hunter, she should do it. We don't have other options this time. Leila, if you are going to do this, you need to be really careful."

"I will. Trust me, I can do this."

Eric clenched his teeth, "I can't believe you're gonna do this. You could die."

"I know."

"Please, don't do this."

"Eric, you have to trust me."

Eric sat down and leaned back on the bed.

"You're not gonna let me talk you out of it, are you?" he asked.

Leila shook her head and sat next to where Isis was lying. She put her hand on the dog's side and smiled.

"I can handle myself, Eric," she said.

"I know, but this sounds really dangerous."

Dean leaned forward, "It's dangerous, but she has you, and Sam, and me to help her. Nothing's gonna happen that we can't handle, okay?"

Eric nodded and stood up, "I've gotta pack."

Leila smiled wider.

"This is gonna be interesting," Sam said.

A/N Yes! I have finally completed another chapter. Sorry I didn't post it last night. Got kicked off the computer. So, here it is. Please review.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The ride across the country to Nashville had been mostly quiet until they were about an hour away. Then, Eric decided to argue with Leila again. When they started arguing, Isis carefully moved up to the front to sit in Sam's lap. She almost didn't fit.

"I can't believe you're seriously going to do this, Leila," Eric said.

"Well, believe it, 'cause I am."

"Why?"

"Because, I want to help."

"So? You could have helped by not putting yourself in danger."

"I'm not going to get hurt. Eric, you have to let me do this myself. I promise I'll be careful."

"You can't promise something like that. You don't know what could happen to you."

"Yes, I do. I could die. But I won't, okay? I'm a better hunter than that."

"Yeah, but even the best slip up sometimes."

"I won't."

"You could."

"But I won't. So, I'm going to do this and you're gonna see I can."

"Fine. But we're going with you. No arguments over that."

"I wasn't going to. Just as long as you trust me."

"I do trust you. I just don't trust the girl."

"Well, believe me. I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, you think so. But then... what if something does happen to you?"

"What do you mean, Eric?"

"Just what I said. What am I supposed to do if something happens to you?"

Dean sighed, "Would you two stop playing around?! You two love each other and it's obvious. So, stop with the charades and go out already."

"WE'RE JUST FRIENDS!" they shouted at the same time.

"Uh-huh, and that's why you're arguing over whether or not you'll be okay."

"That's only because he thinks I'm gonna die, and I don't."

"You could die!"

"I won't!"

"Stop arguing!"

Isis lifted her head up and looked from Eric to Leila.

Sam looked at Dean, "We're here."

Leila smiled, "I get to pick the hotel."

"What?" all three boys said.

"Yeah. I get to pick where we're staying. We are _not_ going to stay in some shitty motel with cockroaches and spiders. We're going to stay in a nice hotel that allows dogs."

"And where exactly are you going to find one of those?" Eric asked.

"I know some people. I used to come here every summer to stay with my aunt. She owns a motel just a couple streets over from here."

"So, we're going to go to a hotel that costs a lot of money, and try to convince them to let Isis stay with us?" Eric asked, "I hope you have a plan, Lei."

"Of course, I do."

She pointed the way to a huge hotel with two men standing in front next to the doors.

"Come on. Bring Isis. They won't care."

Eric shrugged and held onto the back of Isis' neck. Sam and Dean followed them to the doors.

"Hello, Ms. Garner," one of the guards said.

"Hi, Greg."

"Who are they?" the other asked.

"These are my friends. Greg, William, this is Sam, Dean, Eric, and Isis. Guys this is Greg and William. They're great friends of my mom's."

"Hope you enjoy your stay here."

"Thanks," Sam said. They followed Leila through the doors into a big red room. At the far side of the room was a long brown desk. Behind the desk was a short, plump woman with short blond hair and big rimmed glasses. She smiled when she saw Leila and beckoned her over. Leila walked across the red carpet and hugged the woman.

"Hi, Aunt Sarah. How's everything been?"

"Great," the fat woman said, "Not much business lately now that everyone's leaving for fall, though."

"Oh. Well, I was wondering if I could get a couple rooms. My friends and I were in town and we thought we'd stay here for a while."

"Sure, sweety. How many rooms?"

"Just two. Eric can stay with me in my room. Then I can play with Isis longer."

Eric smiled and scratched Isis' neck.

"Oh, wow, that's a very pretty dog."

"She's a wolf, Aunt Sarah."

"Oh, right. Well, then, what a pretty wolf."

"Thanks," Eric mumbled.

"Okay. I've got rooms 250 and 252 open. Is that okay?"

"I call 250," Leila said, "Sorry, yeah, that's fine. How much do I owe you?"

"Don't worry about it. You're family. Just have fun, okay?"

"Thanks."

Sarah handed Leila two keys, and the group went back out to the car to get their bags. They walked up to their rooms and Leila shoved the key into the lock. In seconds, the door swung open. They stood in the doorway a little longer and admired it. The walls were a sky blue and the floor was just a little darker. The two king sized beds were covered in white blankets and the bathroom door had golden angels painted on it.

"Wow," Eric said.

Leila nodded, "I don't care how many times I come here, these rooms constantly amaze me."

They walked in and set their bags down on the floor.

"Which bed do you want?" Leila asked.

Eric shrugged, "I don't care."

"Well, we're not going to share a bed, so you need to pick."

"You pick."

"You."

"Ladies first."

"Stop that and just pick a bed."

"No."

"Yes."

"I'm trying to be polite here, so you pick."

"No."

"Yes."

"Fine. I pick the one closer to the bathroom."

"Hey, at least you picked."

Isis jumped up on the bed closer to the main door and curled up at the bottom. Leila flung herself down on her chosen bed and Eric sat down on the side of his to pull off his boots.

"Eric?" Leila said.

"What's up?"

"Why are you so worried about me?"

"Why?"

"Just wondering. Before today, you could have cared less what happened to me. Now you're all about trying to protect me."

"Just warming up to you, I guess."

"But why so suddenly?"

"Honestly? I don't know. There's something, I just don't know what it is."

"Okay, that doesn't make sense."

"That's because I can't explain it. Please don't ask me to try."

"Okay. I'm gonna try to get some sleep. Do you need the light?"

"Nah. I'm gonna hit the sack, too."

"Okay. G'night."

"Good night."

Leila reached over to the bedside table and turned off the lamp.

A/N I'm getting better at making longer chapters. Please tell me what you think. Criticism definitely welcome.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The next morning, Leila woke to the sound of the shower running. She looked over to Eric's bed and smiled. Isis was curled up with her head on a pillow and her body tangled in the sheets. Seconds later, the shower cut off. Leila got out of bed and quickly changed into a long black skull t-shirt that came to the middle of her slim thighs, but fit her perfect form gracefully. She slipped on a pair of black denim jeans and pulled on her black boots. She ran a brush through her long brown hair just as Eric came out of the bathroom. He saw her sitting on his bed and smiled.

"Good morning, my Australian friend!" she exclaimed.

"Why do you do that?"

"What?"

"Call me that?"

"My Australian friend?"

"Yeah."

"Well, because you're my friend. And you're Australian. Is that bad?"

"No, but it sounds weird when you say it like that."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Aw, Eric, do you love me?" she asked, smiling.

"NO! Not like that... I mean, I don't... stop that."

"Stop what?"

"That!"

"What?"

"Stop confusing me."

"Confusing you?" she asked, "Eric, I only asked you one question."

"Yeah, but it's a hard question."

"Okay then. So, what's on our agenda for today?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. Have you heard from Sam or Dean?"

"Nope. Wanna go see if they're awake?"

He nodded and they knocked on the connecting door to Sam's and Dean's room. Sam answered and let them in.

"He's still asleep," he said, pointing to the lump on Dean's bed, "Everytime I try to get him up, he says to give him five more minutes."

Leila smiled and walked over to Dean's bed. She got right next to his ear and took a deep breath.

"OH, MY GOD! THERE'S A VAMPIRE IN DEAN'S BED! SOMEBODY HELP!"

Dean shot up and whipped out a knife. Leila and Eric burst into laughter while Sam just shook his head.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Dean shouted.

Sam sighed, "She decided to wake you up since you wouldn't stay awake."

"That's not cool. Stop laughing, it's not funny."

"Yes..." Leila choked, "It so is."

"No, it's not. Someone could have been hurt."

"But they're not, Dean," Sam said.

"Dude, you sleep with a knife," Eric laughed.

Leila suddenly turned serious, "I bet he can't get a girl."

"I so can get a girl. You just haven't seen me work."

"Well," she said, "You sleep with a really big knife, so you must be covering for something."

"That's not funny, I don't need a knife to cover for anything."

"What about a pocket knife?"

"No!"

"Toothpick?"

"Stop that!" Dean yelled, blushing slightly.

Leila turned to a laughing Sam and a rolling Eric, "I think I found a button."

"I HAVE NO BUTTONS!!!!!!"

"Yes, you do, or you wouldn't be yelling right now."

Dean sighed, "Forget it. I'm getting a shower."

"Okay," Sam said, trying to keep from laughing more.

Once Dean was out of earshot, Sam burst into laughter again.

"I found a button," Leila said proudly, "That was easier than I thought it'd be. I wonder if he's too mad?"

"Probably," Sam and Eric said.

"Oh, hey, that reminds me," she said, "I have to go make a call. I'll be right back."

Leila turned and walked back through the connecting door. She sat down on her bed and picked up the phone. Eric closed the door to give her some privacy and turned to Sam.

"What do you think she's doing?" he asked.

Sam shrugged, "I don't know. Could be anything, but I'm not gonna spy on her."

"Neither am I, I was just wondering."

"I guess we'll find out later, won't we?"

"Yeah. Hey, when are we going to that restaurant?"

"Sometime tonight."

"Okay."

"Why?"

"Just wanted to know."

A few moments later, Leila came back in and sat on Dean's bed.

"That was a short phone call," Eric said.

"Yeah, I just had to ask Aunt Sarah for a favor. Nothing big, but you'll have to wait till about six to see what I asked for."

"You're gonna make me wait?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because it's a surprise."

Sam smiled, "What's the surprise, Lei?"

"If I told you, you wouldn't be surprised. So, I'm not gonna tell you what it is. I wanna watch you two squirm trying to figure it out."

"That's not fair," Eric complained.

"It's perfectly fair. Okay, so maybe it's not fair, but I really don't care. This is gonna be fun."

Eric and Sam glanced at each other, both wondering what she had planned. Leila smiled and wrung her hands together happily.

A/N Muahahahahahahahahahaha! Yay! I had to find a way to end this chapter. So, the next one is gonna be a few hours later. Closer to restaurant time. Please review.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

For Eric, the next few hours were complete torture. Sarah had brought up a bag and a box and Leila refused to tell any of them what was in either one. She had spent two hours in the bathroom, forcing Eric to use Sam's and Dean's. The three men had changed into button up shirts and nice jeans.

"Leila, Sam and Dean already made a reservation, hurry up!" Eric said, pounding on the bathroom door.

"Hold your horses, Fuller! I'm almost done!"

"You've been in there for two hours, what could you possibly be doing for that long?!"

"Just wait! I'm doing something!"

"It better be good!"

"Trust me, it will be."

Eric turned to Sam and Dean and growled, "She's gonna make us late."

Dean laughed, "She's a chick, dude. She's gonna take a while."

"Yeah, but did she have to do that today? I haven't had anything to eat, because I heard this place has the best food there is. If she doesn't hurry, I'll die of starvation."

Sam's and Dean's jaws dropped and they pointed behind Eric.

"What is it with men and food?" Leila asked from the bathroom doorway. Eric turned around slowly and saw why their jaws dropped so quickly.

Leila was dressed in a tight black sheath dress that came three-quarters of the way down her thighs. The collar dipped low on her chest and she turned around slowly. The dress had no back, leaving her tanned skin completely visible. The straps tied behind her neck. Around her neck was a silver diamond cross with a blood-red ruby in the center. Glitter covered her chest and shoulders, making her sparkle under the bright light. Her full lips were shaded a light red and her bright green eyes were brought out by a heavy layer of eyeliner. She wore black studded heels that tied around her ankles and wound up her legs.

She smiled and walked toward Eric, stopping in front of him. She touched his chin and laughed, "Shut your mouth, you're drooling."

Eric closed his mouth quickly and she walked past him to the table. She slipped a few things into a small black bag and turned back to face Eric, Sam, and Dean, "You guys like it?"

Dean just sat there unblinking. Sam smiled, "It looks great. Is that what you called your aunt for?"

She nodded and looked at Eric, "Eric?"

"I... it's, uh... I mean... wha_-... wow_."

"Full sentences, please?" she said.

"You look great," Eric replied quietly, "So, uh... so, this is why you took so long?"

"Yeah, with the hair issues and everything... does my hair look alright?"

He nodded sharply and looked her over once more. He'd never noticed before how beautiful she was. Tall, slender, beautiful skin.

The only thing he could think to say was in Spanish. He sighed and it slipped before he could think twice about saying it, "Una vision de la belleza brillante pura esta estando parada antes de mi y no una palabra vendra a mis labios silenciados."

**A/N I don't speak Spanish, but I'm learning. I don't know if this is right, but I got it off so I trust it even though it's been wrong before. If it is, please let me know so I can change it. But anyway, it's supposed to mean, "A vision of pure beauty is standing before me and not a word will come to my silenced lips." I know, it's cheesy, but it's the sweetest thing I could think of at the moment.**

Leila smiled and tilted her head, "Aussie boy speaks Spanish? I didn't know that."

Eric cleared his throat, "Yeah, well."

Dean stood up, "We'd better get going if we're gonna make it in time."

Leila nodded and grabbed her bag. Sam motioned for her to go out first and Eric followed her. Sam and Dean followed them both down to the lobby, where Sarah was waiting to see them off.

"I hope you all have fun," she said, watching Eric's expression. He kept his eyes on Leila and walked silently to the car. Dean got in the driver's seat and started the car. Sam sat next to him quietly. Eric and Leila sat in the back seat and Eric kept stealing glances at Leila. He could hardly believe she dressed up. He'd never once seen her in a dress, let alone makeup. But he couldn't say he wasn't enjoying it.

A/N I'm a cheesy guy. I'm sorry.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Stop staring, Eric," Leila laughed.

"I'm sorry," Eric apologized, "It's just... you don't look like you. You look... _hot._"

"Oh, so I don't look hot normally?"

"No, that's not what I said."

"That's what you implied."

"No, stop confusing me."

"How am I confusing you?"

"I don't know. You seem to have a knack for it."

"Why do you keep staring at me?"

"Stop. You know why."

Leila looked down at her legs, "Is it too short?"

He shook his head. Sam looked at Dean and shook his head.

Eric sighed, "I don't get why you dressed so fancy."

"Can't a girl look nice every once in a while?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"Then why complain?"

"It's just not normal for you. I've only ever seen you in jeans and a t-shirt."

"There's a first time for everything, baby."

"Did you just call me 'baby'?"

"Yes, I did. I call everyone that. Now if I wanted you to know I liked you specially, I'd probably call you 'my baby' or 'sexy' or something along those lines."

"You'd call me sexy?"

"Maybe. If I liked you that way."

"Wait, you don't?"

She paused, glanced away, and looked back, "I like you as a friend, I guess."

Dean rolled his eyes, "You two are really bad liars."

"What?" they asked.

"You both know as well as I do that you're in love with each other. You just don't realize it yet."

"Dean," Eric said, "We're just friends. That's all. We've been through this before."

"Yes, but everytime we don't talk about it, you start flirting harder."

"I'm not flirting, it was just a question."

"Yeah, maybe, but... nevermind."

"Doesn't matter," Sam said, "We're here."

Dean pulled into the parking lot in front of a nice-looking brick restaurant with Barcelona's written over the door in fancy Greek-style letters. They walked through the doors and stopped in front of a man behind a podium. He opened a book and smiled at Dean.

"Last name?" he asked.

Dean lifted his chin slightly, "Michaels."

"Ah, yes, Mr. Michaels. Please follow me."

Dean nodded and the four followed the man to a candlelit table toward the back next to the window. Sam sat down next to Dean and Leila sat between Eric and Sam. People were gathered on a large dance floor in the front of the room right next to a tall stage. A group of people were on the stage. A girl with long black hair stood behind a microphone. Two boys stood on either side of her; one with a bass guitar, the other with an acoustic. Another boy sat in the back behind a set of drums. They were playing an upbeat song that Eric immediately recognized as "Amaranth" by Nightwish. Leila smiled.

"I love this song," she said.

An older waitress with blond hair walked up to their table and took their orders. She smiled and walked back to the kitchen, leaving Leila bobbing her head to the music and Eric, Sam, and Dean watching her with amused looks on their faces.

"What?" she asked, "It's a good song."

Eric laughed and shook his head.

A/N I'm really bad at ending chapters. This one was gonna be longer, but I've got something planned for the next chapter that I just had to separate it from.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

After an hour without seeing anything from the spirit, Leila sat with her empty plate in front of her, banging the end of her fork on the table cloth. Eric sat watching the band play, humming to the songs he knew. Sam and Dean were discussing what they knew about the case.

"Okay, so we know she was killing sixteen and seventeen year old girls," Sam said, "So why isn't she going after Leila?"

Dean shrugged, "Maybe she looks older than seventeen?"

"Hey, I'm still sitting right here," Leila complained.

"It's just a theory," Dean said.

"Well, it's not cool."

Sam sighed, "He didn't mean to call you old. But we haven't seen anything out of this girl and we need to run through all possibilities."

"Fine. Just don't let him call me old again."

"Dean?" Sam said.

"I didn't mean to call her old."

"Again, still sitting here."

"I'm sorry!"

"Guys, stop arguing."

Eric looked at Leila as the band started playing "God Bless the Broken Road". He smiled and held out his hand.

"May I have this dance?" he asked her in a very bad English accent.

"Sure as long as you promise you won't talk like that again," she said laughing.

"I promise."

She took his hand and stood up. They walked over to the dance floor where seven other couples were slowdancing. Eric put his hands around Leila's waist and she put hers behind his neck.

"Is there a reason you brought me out here in four inch heels?" she asked as they started dancing.

"Yes. And it's not my fault you wore those, although I must say, they do look absolutely amazing on you."

"Get to the point," she laughed.

"Oh, right. I was getting tired of hearing about the case. I mean, I get that it's important and all, but an hour of talking about it gets old. You know?"

"Yeah. God I love this song."

"Well, that was random."

"You know me. Random ass chick that happens to like country music."

"You're not that random, but that was a pretty random statement."

"I know. But it is a good song."

"That's true."

She sighed, turned her head toward the stage, and leaned it on Eric's chest. His arms tightened around her waist as the music continued.

_I think about the years I spent,  
Just passin' through.  
I'd like to have the time I lost,  
And give it back to you.  
But you just smile and take my hand.  
You've been there, you understand.  
It's all part of a grander plan,  
That is comin' true._

"Leila?" Eric said.

"Yeah?"

"Why did you like my brother?"

She shrugged against him, "I don't know. I was young and he was cute."

"Do you still like him, even though he's dead?"

"Not as much. I mean, it wasn't like I wanted to marry him in the first place, but a teenage girl has crushes. It was just one of those things."

"So, what if someone were to ask you out? What would you say?"

"Depends on the guy," she said, looking up at him, "If they guy was a pig, who only liked me for my looks and not my brains and wanted me for one thing, I'd probably say no. But if he was sweet and appreciated my smarts as well as my looks and wanted me for me, I'd probably say yes. Why?"

"Well, what if _I _asked you?"

She smiled and moved her right hand to the side of his neck, just below his jaw, "Is that a hint?"

"You didn't answer the question."

"Like I said, if the guy was sweet and wanted me for me, I'd say yes."

"Would you consider me sweet?"

"Of course."

"So, would you go out with me?"

She smiled and stood on her toes, pulling his head down to meet hers. They stayed locked together, finally realizing how much they loved one another, until the song ended.

Leila leaned her forehead on Eric's chest for a moment before looking back up at him, "Do you mind if we go sit down? My feet are killing me and my legs feel like jello."

"Sure," he said. They walked back over to their table. Dean was smiling triumphantly and Sam was just sitting there.

"What?" Leila asked when Dean wouldn't take his eyes off the two.

"I saw you two out there. You were practically making out. I told you. I was right, but you kept insisting you were just friends. I knew it."

"Okay," Eric said, shrugging, "So you were right. But we all knew it would happen eventually."

"What?" Leila said.

"I... that didn't sound like I meant it to. I meant... damn, now I don't know what I meant."

"Don't worry, it's not that big a deal. Listen, I don't want you to treat me any differently than you did when we were just friends, okay?"

Eric nodded, "Sure. How do you want me to treat you, then? 'Cause there has to be something different now."

"The only thing I want you to do differently is kiss me. That's it. I don't want any special treatment. That means, if something happens to me on a hunt, don't cry over it. Don't kill anyone, don't make it your first priority. If there is another person in trouble, go help them first. Don't get all worked up. If I die, I die. If I don't, hey, that's good. No special treatment. Okay?"

"I can't do that, Lei. If you're in trouble I'm gonna help you first. Especially now that we've got Sam and Dean to help us. I won't get all worked up, because I know I'll find you. I won't cry and I won't kill anyone, but from now on, you _are _my only priority."

She smiled and shook her head, "I don't want to be your first or only priority. I just want you to love me. Nothing more."

"Well, that's just too bad then isn't it?"

"There's no talking you out of this is there?"

"Nope!"

"Fine. I'll be right back."

Eric nodded. Leila beent forward and kissed his cheek before walking toward the bathroom. About halfway there, Leila suddenly felt her whole body go numb. She didn't fall, but she wasn't moving herself anymore. Her feet made their way toward a door to her right and she found herself opening the door.

_"Just relax. It'll all be over soon," _a voice whispered in the back of her mind. She tried to scream, but no sound would come out. The same voice that had just whispered began laughing in her mind. She felt totally helpless.

A/N See? Now, wasn't that worth the wait?


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Where's she going?" Eric asked as Leila walked through the unnamed door, "What's she up to?"

"I don't know," Dean said, "But I don't like it."

"Should we go after her?" Eric said, already starting to stand up.

Sam grabbed his wrist, "Don't you think it would look weird if we all just took off through that door?"

Dean stopped a waitress and smiled up at her, "Excuse me, where does that door lead?"

The waitress looked at the door and smiled at Dean, "That's the old kitchen. Nobody's been in there for years."

Eric growled and the waitress stared at him. Sam cleared his throat, "Uh, he's not a fan of this song."

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry. I can have them switch to another song if you'd like."

Eric shook his head, "No, thanks. I'll deal."

The waitress smiled and walked off.

"I'm going in after her," Eric said, "No way am I just gonna sit here and wait for them to find her."

"Eric, she said..."

"I don't care what the hell she said. I'm going in there. Now, either you two can come with me, or you can stay here. I don't care."

Eric stood up and stalked off toward the old kitchen door. Sam and Dean exchanged a look before standing up and following him.

_

* * *

_

_"Why won't you let me go?"_ Leila thought. The same eerie voice growled and laughed in her head and forced her to walk into a small room filled with kitchen utensils and cobwebs.

_"This isn't funny, let me go. I'm serious."_

_"Why should I?"_

When Leila didn't answer the voice laughed, _"I thought so. Don't worry. It'll all be over with soon enough."_

Leila's heart pounded as she walked across the room to a drawer and opened it. Her mouth went dry when she pulled out a stainless steel butcher's knife.

_"No. Please, stop. No."_

The girl laughed again and the knife got closer to Leila's throat.

_"Wait! Why are you doing this to me?"_

_"Because I can."_

Leila tried to cringe away from the knife, but her body remained still. She felt a hot tear roll down her cheek and the cold knife blade just under her left jaw. A bead of thick, warm blood streamed over her skin. She tried to move her arm, to get some sort of movement, but nothing happened. She started to feel dizzy as more blood flowed.

She heard the sound of the door creaking open and her body swiveled around. Eric stood in the doorway with Sam and Dean right behind him.

"Leila, stop," Eric said, not realizing she was possessed, "What are you doing?"

The girl possessing Leila laughed inside her head before using her voice to answer, "You don't love me."

Eric looked stunned and hurt, "What are you talking about? Of course I love you."

"No, you don't. You're pretending you love me. You've never loved me and you never will."

Eric started to walk forward, but the ghost pulled a little on the knife, "One more step and I'll slice my head off."

Eric put up his hands and sighed, "Leila, please, you have to listen to me."

"Why should I?"

"Because. Just listen. I love you. I have loved you since the first time you made fun of me. And I haven't stopped loving you, not even when you pissed me off. I can't picture myself without you, and I don't want to, so please. Put the knife down."

"No. I can't believe any of what you're saying is at all true," the voice started to sound sincere. Leila, through the spots dancing in front of her eyes, could see how hurt Eric looked and wanted to kill this girl for hurting him like that.

"Leila, why would I lie to you? Stop this and put the knife down, now."

He walked toward her and the girl pulled the knife a little, making a thin line directly under her jaw, "Go away."

The ghost left Leila's body and she fell to the ground, narrowly missing the knife blade that was still in her hand. Her vision started to get worse and she cringed against the nausea that stung her stomach. Eric immediately ran to her side and pushed on the gash, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Eric," Leila wheezed, "It wasn't me. Possessed."

Eric's jaw clenched, "You were possessed and I didn't notice?"

She nodded slightly and the pain made itself known.

"God, I'm sorry. Think you can hold up for a while?"

"Not nodding. Yes. Possibly."

"Good. Sam, Dean? Could one of you get the manager or something?"

"Sure," Sam said. He walked out the door and came back a moment later with the manager, a tall, balding man with a monacle.

"Oh, my God!" he said, "Is she alright?"

Leila scoffed weakly, "Do I... frikkin' look like I'm alright?"

"Sorry. I'll call an ambulance."

The manager left the room to go call 911. Eric glanced down at Leila. She was pale, but still awake and alive.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" he asked.

"I'm positive. I'll be fine. Is it still bleeding?"

Eric moved his hand and saw that it had stopped bleeding.

"It wasn't deep, but I'm extremely squeamish."

Eric glared at her, "Why did you do that? Why couldn't you have stayed standing up? I thought you were dying. What's wrong with you?"

"Hey, easy. I thought I was dying, too. Not my fault I have a weak stomach."

"Next time we come, we're bringing weapons."

"I get to do the honors. This is personal."

"Fine."

"Hey, they're here," Sam said as a paramedic came in. She ushered Eric to the side and took a look at Leila.

"How you feeling?" she asked.

"I feel fine, just nauseous."

"Squeamish?"

"Yeah."

"Understandable. Well, I'm Kallie. Can you tell me what happened?"

Kallie pulled out a gauze pad and some medical tape.

"I tripped and fell on an open cabinet door. No biggie, I'm a klutz in four inch heels."

"You gonna press charges?"

"No, this happens a lot actually. It wasn't anyone's fault."

"Okay, well this should keep it under control. If anything happens, just call and I'll take care of it."

"Thanks," Leila said. Kallie smiled and left the room.

"You would have to get possessed when we go somewhere fancy, wouldn't you?" Dean teased.

"Shut up and let's get out of here," Leila said.

"Are you mad?" Eric asked, grabbing her hand.

"Yes. I should have known that would happen."

"Don't worry. We'll take care of it."

Eric's phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. He looked at the caller ID and his eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Hello?" he said.

"Eric," a woman on the other end said.

"Mom?"

A/N Dun-dun-dun.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Eric, you have to listen to me," his mom said.

"Why should I? You kicked me out. After Gabe died, remember? You said it was my fault he died."

"I need your help, baby."

"What?"

"I'm in trouble. I don't know what's going on."

"What kind of trouble?"

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"Mom?"

"Eric," Ariah said after a few seconds, "Good to hear from you again."

"Ariah, what are you doing to mom?"

"Payback. That jackass broke my nose, so I'm taking it out on you."

"She's your mother, too, Ariah."

"So? I'm dead, stupid. I don't need family. I can't die twice, which means you can't get rid of me. Hey, you wanna hear something really cool?"

There was a brief pause, followed by a loud scream. Eric's heart dropped low in his chest.

"Mom! Ariah, stop! Stop hurting her!"

"No. Why should you care anyway? She kicked you out, remember?"

"Stop, Ariah. I'm serious. You have to stop."

"See, that's where you're wrong, Bubby. I don't have to do anything. Wanna see what I'm doing to Mom?"

"No. Stop."

"Well, that's too bad, 'cause I'm gonna show you anyway."

Eric doubled over as a pain ripped through his skull. He felt Leila put her hand on his back and heard Sam and Dean ask him if he was alright. Red dots flicked in his mind and he saw in his mind's eye what was being done to his mother. She was chained to a plaster wall. Her living room. Ariah was ripping long, deep gashes across her face and stomach with an evil grin spread across her face. The pain ceased and Eric picked up his phone with a shaking hand.

"Bubby, you there?" Ariah said in a mock-worried voice.

"You're such a bitch, Ariah," Eric said. His voice cracked.

"Aw, is Bubba gonna cry? Don't worry, she's not dead. Not yet. But you better hurry. I'm having fun tearing her to shreds."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to come here and let me tear you apart. Make my mission a little less tiring. I'm making finding me easier on you, Eric. You already know I'm at her house. Come tomorrow at noon. I'm tired of chasing you."

"You want me to let you kill me because you're lazy?"

"Don't toy with me right now, Eric. I'm holding Anna's life in my hands. I can kill her in a heartbeat."

"Don't. I'll be there. Just don't kill her."

Ariah laughed, "If you're two minutes late, you'll get here to find her in pieces. I swear, Eric. You better not be late."

"I won't."

"Bye-bye, Bubba."

Eric flipped the phone closed and turned to face Sam, Dean, and Leila.

Leila raised her eyebrows, "What's going on? I heard the words 'mom', 'Ariah', 'bitch', and 'kill'. Eric, is that bitch, Ariah killing your mom?"

He nodded. Leila walked forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, "Why?"

"She just said she was tired of chasing me around. She's gonna kill my mom if I'm not at the house tomorrow by nine."

"You know we won't let her do that, right? What is she gonna do if you show?"

"She's gonna kill me when I get there."

Leila stepped back and stared up at him, "Oh, Hell no. Not if I have anything to say about it. Don't even try to argue with me this time, Eric. I don't care. I'm going with you. I'm not gonna sit around and hope she changes her mind about ripping you to shreds."

"Then it's settled," Sam said, "We're going with you. Where do you live?"

Eric shook his head, "No. What if she kills you all because you came to help me?"

"Nobody cares, Eric," Leila said.

"I do. I can't watch you be killed because of me."

"And I can't know you're being killed and I did nothing to help. We're coming with you and that's final."

Eric stepped forward and grabbed her waist, pulling her closer to him, "Leila, you can't do this this time. I don't care what happens to me, but I can't lose you. You're gonna stay at the hotel with Sam and Dean, or at least one of them, where they can keep an eye on you."

"You don't trust me not to follow you, do you?"

"No."

"That hurts. But I'm not staying at the hotel. I'm gonna go with you and kick that girl's ass."

"Leila..."

"No. No arguing. I've made up my mind."

"Please, Lei..."

"What part of no arguing don't you understand? I'm not gonna argue with you anymore. I'm going."

Eric growled, let go of Leila's waist, and stalked out of the restaurant, his hands in his pockets. Sam, Dean, and Leila followed him. Leila grabbed his arm.

"Eric, what's wrong with you?"

"Do you realize how much danger you're getting yourself into? You could be killed and you're not worried about it."

"You're not worried about the fact that she could rip you apart! So, why should I be worried?!"

"I can't lose you!"

"And I can't lose you!"

"You aren't going."

"You don't own me!"

"As long as we're together, I won't let you put yourself in that kind of danger."

"Fine. Fine, we're not together anymore. You should trust me enough to let me handle it. If you can't do that, then I can't handle being with you."

Eric stood, stunned, as Leila walked past him to the Impala. Sam and Dean walked up to him and patted his shoulders.

"Don't worry," Sam said, "This won't last long. She loves you too much."

"Yeah, maybe," Eric replied, "But what if you're wrong?"

The brothers shrugged and got in the car, Sam in the passenger's seat, Dean behind the wheel. Eric climbed into the back and looked at Leila. She was staring blankly out the window, her head in her palm. Her breathing was deep, but she was awake. Eric touched her shoulder.

"Don't touch me," she said, shrugging away from him.

"Leila, please talk to me."

"No."

"I need you."

"Apparently not."

"Please, listen."

She shook her head and wiped a tear off her cheek.

"Leila?"

"Shut up, Eric, I don't want to talk to you right now!" she yelled. Sam and Dean jumped, and the car swerved a little.

Eric sat back in his seat and let his head fall onto the cold window. The rest of the ride to the hotel was completely silent. No one said anything. There was nothing to say. Leila wouldn't talk or listen, Eric was too upset, and Sam and Dean just wanted to stay out of the way.

A/N Sad. Please review.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Once they got back to the hotel, Leila jumped out of the car, ran to the room, and locked herself in the bathroom. She changed quickly, throwing the dress into its bag and wiped the makeup off her face. Then, she sat on the side of the tub, put a towel over her face, and cried. She hoped that the towel would muffle some of the sounds.

After an hour, Sam decided someone should talk to her. He hesitated briefly before knocking on the bathroom door.

"Leila?" he called.

"Go away!"

"Leila, it's Sam. Could we talk?"

There was a pause and Sam heard her sniffle. Then, she opened the door, reached her hand out, grasped his collar, and jerked him into the bathroom. She climbed into the empty bath tub, leaned back, and covered her face with a towel.

"Why are guys such ass holes, Sam?" she asked, her voice muffled by the towel.

Sam sighed and sat on the edge of the tub, "Not all guys are like that. He's just trying to protect you. That's all. You can't blame him for wanting to keep you safe."

"But he's being a jerk about it. I can't stand it."

"Leila, do you love him?"

She threw the towel at the wall and sat up, "Of course I love him. I just hate the fact that he can't seem to trust me enough to take care of myself. Why can't he trust me if he loves me as much as I love him? Why can't he see that I'm trying to protect him?"

"Because, guys are stubborn like that. Trust me, I know. But maybe you should let him do this one on his own. Give him some time to realize what you mean. Give him a few minutes of getting the crap beat out of him and maybe he'll come to his senses. You know he won't die. He knows it would kill you."

She raised her eyebrow and stared at him, "How can you be so sensitive if you're living with Dean?"

"What can I say? I'm the good brother. It's like in the cartoons, you know, when the person has the angel and the devil on his shoulder? Well, metaphorically, I'm the angel, and he's pretty much the devil."

She laughed.

"See? Funny. So, just give him time. He'll come back, I guarantee it."

She sighed.

"You alright?"

"Yeah."

Sam wet a rag and handed it to Leila so she could wipe off the rest of her eyeliner. They heard a loud grunt from outside the room.

"Damn it, Sam! Get out here quick!" Dean yelled.

Sam helped Leila out of the tub and the two ran out into the main room. Dean was sitting on one of the beds, a tissue over his nose, and he looked pissed. He threw a folded sheet of paper at Leila and looked to Sam.

"Son of a bitch broke my nose and ran! He said to give her that. So I tried to stop him and he hit me!"

He looked back at Leila, "Lover boy's walking thin ice."

Leila shook her head and unfolded the paper. When she had finished reading it, she wadded it up and threw it across the room. She grabbed her bag and started loading it with the necassary weapons. Sam picked it up and started to read, Dean reading over his shoulder.

"I am damned to Hades. I will walk the night, searching for a hope from some god. A god that has forsaken me and moved to more worthy followers. But God is not on my list. She takes all my focus, all my time. She's all that matters; my only goddess. I can't love her. The danger I could put her in, it's more than I can bear. But I do; I do love her. It's impossible not to. Her smile, her shining brown hair, her sparkling green eyes. She's an angel. Forbidden. My temptation. I will hunt the girl that made me so afraid. I will kill her soon. Until then, I will protect my world. I will forever gaze on her fair skin, longing for the warmth of the pale flush, the feel of her soft lips. I long to trace those lips, even for only a moment. I would be damning her. Could I truly kill her? But God, every fiber of my being wants her. Wants to feel her warm breath on my skin. I want her so badly. But if I let her go with me, I'd be facing my death. And hers.

I hope this says it all, Lei. I hate that you won't talk to me, but I can't let you get hurt. I'm sorry. I love you."

Sam looked at Leila. She had packed her duffle bag so full, it wouldn't zip. Finally, after some severe struggling, she got it closed and hauled it over her shoulder.

"Well, at least you know he loves you," Dean said.

Leila's eyes got wide and she dropped the bag, "Wait, I have to change. No way am I going there in pajamas."

Sam and Dean glanced at each other and back at Leila, who was now searching through the dresser for something. She pulled out a black bag and started to walk to the bathroom. She turned back around and dug under the dresser, pulled out a pair of four inch tall black leather boots, and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

"Do I want to know why she's changing into those?" Dean asked.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling it's gonna be a lot of leather," Sam replied.

They stood for a few minutes waiting for her to come back out. When she did, they saw she was wearing black leather pants that flared out above the black boots, and a black long-sleeved silk shirt with a low collar. Dean smiled.

"You wear that on your hunts?" he asked, amused.

"Don't laugh, it makes it easier to hide," she snapped.

"Unless you're in the insane asylum."

"Shut up, or I'll put you in the insane asylum."

"Are we leaving or not?" Sam sighed.

She nodded and hoisted her bag back up.

"Got enough stuff?" Dean asked.

"Hey," she said defensively, "You have an arsenal in your trunk, I have one in my bag. Now, shut up about it."

"How'd you know about my trunk?"

"Well, you're both hunters. You don't carry around a duffle bag, and it's not in the back seat, so where else would it be?"

Sam smiled. Leila walked past them and threw open the door, "Let's get out of here."

Sam and Dean followed her out of the hotel. They climbed into the car and Leila pointed the way to Eric's mom's house. It would be an overnight trip to Virginia, but they would make it in time.

A/N Sorry I didn't update sooner. My computer is the only one in the house with Ever Quest on it, and my mom wanted to play. But I didn't know she'd be on there all day.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"So," Sam said, "What was that note he left you?"

Leila looked up from the map in her lap and shrugged, "When his family first moved here from Australia, he was writing a book and I loved it. It was about a vampire that fell in love with a girl, but if he let her get too close he'd be damning her too. It was really awesome, and he gave me the manuscript. Granted, it never got published, but it should have. That was the first paragraph of the story. He was trying to say if I went with him he wouldn't be the only one going to Hell."

"How much longer till we get there?" Dean asked.

"Well, we've got about four-hundred miles left, so if we go at eighty miles per hour, we should be there in five hours."

"Five hours? But it's already four in the morning! We'll get there right at nine unless traffic's bad. What if she kills him first?"

"She won't. Ariah's a talker. She'll tell him how she's gonna do it or something first. She just wants him there at nine so she can toy with him a little."

"What if you're wrong? She could kill him right when he gets there."

"I know Ariah better than that. When she was alive, she used to rip dolls' heads off, but first she'd pretend she was an enemy interrogator and tell them what they did wrong. I know what she'll do. Besides, it's all I have to go on right now. I'm an optimist. No way am I looking at the bad side of what's going on."

Sam smiled, "She did that?"

"Yeah. Evil bitch."

"Okay," Sam said, "Give me the map and you try to get some sleep. You're gonna need it when we get there."

She nodded and handed him the map. She laid across the seat and rested her head on her duffle bag. When they were sure she was asleep, Sam turned to Dean.

"Dean? We're gonna get to him in time, right?"

"Yeah, of course. We have to, or it'll tear her apart, and then she may tear us apart, and I'd like to live to see another day."

"But what if we don't get there to stop her?"

"Then he dies, and Lei kills us."

"But then, what if when we do get there, Lei tries to kill Ariah herself and gets killed instead of Eric. What would he do?"

"Damn. I didn't think of that. I'd be more worried about him. He's bigger."

"Do you really think it'd tear him apart that bad?"

"Sam, did you read that note? He's completely lost in her. He'd kill us faster for bringing her here."

"Wait. How the hell is he getting there?"

* * *

"Come on, Isis," Eric said, stepping out of the stolen truck, "Thank God we didn't get pulled over, I've got two minutes left to get in that house." 

Isis jumped down to the ground and followed Eric into the woods. A minute later, they reached a tall white house and bounded through the door. They ran down the hallway and into the living room. Eric almost fell in the doorway. Across the room was the lifeless form of his mother. Ariah appeared behind him and punched him in the area just under his right rib cage.

"Your watch is five minutes slow, stupid," she said, "Your idiot girlfriend and the twit twins are on their way here. In fact, they should see the truck you stole right about now. Nice choice by the way. On your girlfriend. She really loves you. Too bad she won't get to see you alive again. I'm gonna kill you first. But don't worry. She won't be far behind you."

"Don't hurt her, Ariah. This is about us, remember?"

"Yeah, but unfortunately for you, I lied."

She kicked him in the ribs, but he hardly felt the pain. His mother was dead. He kept his eyes on her, like she might wake up. But now, the love of his life was going to die, too.

"Ariah!" someone called from behind the girl. Ariah turned around and got a face full of holy water.

"Sam, now!" Leila yelled. Sam walked in with a notebook. He began to read something off a paper and Ariah's skin started flaming.

"Dean, help Eric!"

Dean rushed to Eric's side, but Eric shrugged him off and ran to his mother. Ariah dissolved into nothing with a quick burst of flame and Leila slowly walked to Eric's side.

"Mom?" Eric asked, lifting his mother's head. Her skin was cold and pale. There were lines of dried blood and also some fresh blood lines all across her face. The entire length of her stomach was painted in blood, and there was a gaping hole in the center of her chest. Eric stood and grabbed a key off the wall. He unlocked the cuffs around his mother's wrists and caught her as she fell.

"Eric, I'm sorry," Leila said. She tried to put her hand on his shoulder, but he shook his head.

"Don't touch me, Leila. Leave me alone."

Leila looked back at Sam and Dean and shrugged. They shook their heads.

Eric pulled off his jacket and placed it over his mother's body.

"I should have gotten here sooner," he said, his voice cracking, "I should have realized she'd kill her early. This is all my fault."

"Eric," Leila said, suddenly irritated, "Don't you dare start blaming yourself. Ariah was gonna kill her anyway, you know that."

Eric looked up at Leila, "I'm sorry I tried to control you. I was wrong. You shouldn't be controlled."

A tear rolled down Leila's cheek and she reached for Eric's hand, "Eric, don't worry about it. I get it. You were just trying to protect me and I appreciate it. But right now, you have too much to worry about. We'll talk about it later. Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. Where's Isis?"

Off in another room, Isis whimpered. Eric jumped up, his eyes wide and searched through the whole downstairs. He was starting to panic.

"Isis? Where are you?"

To his left, a young girl cried out. He pulled a gun out of his belt, worried that the exorcism didn't work. He stepped into what he suspected was the dining room. There was a small table in the center of the room and a few chairs around it. Gun raised, he walked around the table. His breath caught when he spotted a young girl in a silver dress. She had to be only about ten years old.

The girl had fair, almost white hair, ocean blue eyes, and pale skin. Her right leg was crumpled underneath her and blood was streaming from an area where a bone was protruding through her skin. She was crying.

"Are you okay?" he asked, placing the gun back in his belt.

"Eric," she cried, "My leg. My leg's broken."

A/N Betcha can't guess who it is. Nah, it should be obvious. Please review.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"Do I know you?" he asked, confused.

She nodded silently.

He thought about it. He didn't know any younger girls except Ariah and she was dead.

"I'm sorry, I'm not getting it," he admitted.

"How can you not? I've lived with you for months now."

"Isis?"

She nodded.

"That's not possible. You're not a dog. Isis is a wolf."

"I am a shifter, Eric. You know that's the only explanation."

"That's... okay, it's possible, but you can't be, can you?"

"Why are you so quick to admit that your sister is a demon, but so reluctant to admit that I am Isis?"

"It... I don't know... we should probably get you out of here."

He tried to help her up, but her broken leg wasn't making that easy.

"Leila? Sam, Dean? A little help would be nice in here!"

Leila ran into the room, followed by Sam and Dean.

"Who's she?" Leila asked, grabbing the girl under the arms and helping Eric get her up.

"Guys," Eric replied as Isis cried in pain, "This is Isis."

"What?" Dean asked, stunned.

Sam stepped forward a little to help get the girl's leg straightened out, "I thought Isis was a wolf?"

"Shifter," he explained, "Isis, how old are you?"

"I'm nine. Are you mad?"

Eric shook his head, "I'm not mad. Just freaked. Where are your parents?"

"Dead. They died in a fire."

"I'm sorry. Uh, why... what am I trying to say?"

"Why did I follow you?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"I followed you because you seemed to be nice enough. I just didn't want to be alone anymore. I'm sorry I scared you."

"I'm not scared, I just wasn't expecting that."

Leila looked down at the girl, "How'd your leg break?"

"His sister threw me."

"I'm sorry about that," Eric apologized.

"Doesn't matter. I'll be fine. I can just shift and it'll repair itself. This is why I don't like fighting. I get hurt and shift. I like being a dog."

They sat her in a chair and she closed her eyes. A few seconds later, she was sprouting fur and her nose grew into a muzzle. Her body shrunk and changed. Within a minute, she was a full dog. She jumped down off the chair, her tail wagging, and trotted out of the dining room. Leila looked at Eric and shrugged.

"Okay, someone needs to shoot this writer," Eric said, "Something tells me, the human Isis won't show up again."

Hehe, revenge. Eric started to walk forward and tripped over a chair. As he stood up, his foot caught the table leg and he fell flat on his face. What now?!

"Dude, you shouldn't make fun of the writer," Dean said, "He's in control."

"Jackass," Eric mumbled. He stood up and walked out of the room. I, being the writer, so I'm allowed to, glared at him from across the hallway. He pulled out his gun and pointed it at me.

"You know," I said, "I can make that gun turn on you and shoot you where you can't have kids in the future."

"Who the Hell are you?" he asked, putting the gun in his belt.

I laughed, "I'm the writer, dumbass."

A/N HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Sorry, couldn't help it. If you don't like it, I'm sorry, but I'm bored and hyper, and for me, that's a bad combo.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Eric glared at me, "That's not possible. Who's writing the story if you're the writer?"

"My brother," I shrugged, "He's cool. He's writing everything I say, and I'll give him money for it. He's good people."

Eric scoffed, " 'He's good people'? And I'm based off you?"

"Yes, you are, now shut up."

"Don't you tell me to..."

Leila put her hand in front of him before he could say something else, "What we're trying to say is, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be up there writing this stuff?"

"Again. Brother. Cool guy. And I'm down here because a certain _somebody _keeps making smartass remarks about my writing and I'm tired of it. I could get rid of you very easily, Eric. But some of my readers may get mad, so I won't. Or I could have Leila fall for a steroid-addicted bodybuilder."

"I could live with that," Leila said, smiling.

"But you won't, because then my girlfriend would be pissed, and she's not pretty when she's pissed. So, instead, I want you to stop talking about my writing abilities like that, because I know I'm not that great and I don't need to hear it from you."

Leila, Sam, and Dean nodded. Eric just glared at me and sighed, "Whatever."

"Good." I walked out the door, leaving them standing there, and returned to my computer to continue typing.

Where was I? Oh, right. The four walked into the living room, laid Eric's mom's body on the couch, and lit it on fire. The body burned along with the house as they drove off.

"Eric?" Leila said, "Are you okay?"

"No," he said, still looking out the window, his arm on Isis' back.

"You wanna talk?"

"No."

"Not even to me."

"No."

"Is that all you can say?"

"Lei, please just leave me alone for five minutes, and then I'll talk, okay?"

"Alright."

"Thank you."

Eric continued staring out into the now-pouring rain. Leila sat back in the seat and sighed. Exactly five minutes later, she looked over at him. Isis moved to the floor where she could stretch out comfortably.

"Eric, it's been five minutes," she announced, "Will you talk to me now?"

He glanced over and nodded. She pulled him toward her and made him lean back in her lap. She ran her fingers through his hair and listened to him talk. Isis layed her head on his stomach and also seemed to be listening intently.

"Leila you're lucky. You have your aunt and your cousins. I don't even have that. My brother's dead, my sister's dead, my mother's dead. I don't have anyone but you and Isis anymore."

"Eric, I don't know what you're going through, and I won't pretend I do. I'm sorry about what happened, but shit happens and we can't always control it. But look at Sam and Dean. They've lost their mother and their father, but they're getting along perfectly. Well, save for the ghosts and demons trying to kill them, but that's normal."

"Maybe, but they didn't see their mother being killed by their sister. Did you?"

Dean shook his head.

Sam sighed, "Nope. Never had any sisters or brothers. Just us."

"See? This sucks, Lei. What am I supposed to do now?"

"You're gonna let us find a way to help you so you don't do something stupid, and you're gonna stay with me even if I drive you insane, because that's the only way I can make sure something doesn't happen to you."

"You know what that sounds like?"

"Uh, no."

"It sounds like you still love me."

She laughed slightly, "I do, Eric. But I don't like being controlled. No girl does."

"I'm sorry. I was worried, that's all. I didn't mean to make you mad. I still love you, Leila. More than anything. Please, please forgive me."

"Eric, I never wanted to break up. Can we just pretend it didn't happen?"

"I can't do that. It did happen. But I really want to try again if it's not too late."

"It's never too late. God, that sounds cheesy."

"Yeah, well, when your life's pretty much a soap opera, things always sound cheesy."

"This is true."

Sam laughed, "Soap opera? We hunt ghosts for a living and you're thinking soap opera? I'm thinking horror movie."

"No, horror movies are crap," Eric said, sitting up.

Leila jerked on his shoulder, "Hey. I'm not through. It's not every day you find someone with your kinda hair."

He leaned back, "Sam does."

"Yeah, but that would be awkward. He's at least twenty."

"Hey!" Dean complained, "So, I'm thirty, but he gets to be twenty? Not nice."

"I never said you were thirty," Leila said, confused.

Eric laughed, "No, I did."

"Oh. Wait! I wanna guess how old you guys are. Eric doesn't count."

"Hey, what am I? Chopped liver?"

"Well, I've known you for years, so I already know how old you are. You don't count."

"Fine. I see how it is."

"Good. Okay, Dean, you're... you're uh... twenty-five?"

Dean smiled happily, "Close."

"Twenty-four?"

"Older."

"Twenty... six?"

"Nope."

"Okay... twenty-seven?"

"Yeah. I like her, Eric. Wait. Were you just sucking up."

"No, God no. Why would I need to do that? I don't care what you think of me, you just look like you could be twenty-four."

Eric laughed, "I think he could be thirty."

Dean scowled, "Okay, what about Sam?"

She narrowed her eyes and stared at Sam for two full minutes.

"Sam, look at me," she said, "I don't want to play the guessing game this time."

Sam turned a little in his seat.

"Well, you're obviously younger than Dean, which would explain why he's so protective."

"I'm not protective, just cautious."

"Right, Dean. Sure. But you're also not as young as Eric and me. I can tell by the way you're staring. So, I'd say somewhere between twenty and twenty-five. Uh, just a stab in the dark here, but are you twenty-three?"

Sam nodded and smiled.

"And you're proud of it."

"Yep. Because that means that Dean will always be older, and I will always be better looking."

"You wish, little brother."

Leila smiled, "Well, Dean, in all honesty, Sam is better-looking."

"You're climbing the bad list on purpose, aren't you?"

"You have a bad list?"

"Yes, and you're number two."

Eric smiled, "She's got a gift. She can tell how old people are just by the way they do things. Like the way they stare at her, or the way they sit; simple stuff like that."

"My mom taught me how to do it. She was a master of that kind of thing."

"Yeah, but she didn't perfect it like that."

"Suck up. I wonder how you'd look with short hair."

Eric's eyes got wide and he shot straight up. He spun around to face her, "You're NOT cutting my hair, Lei! I like my hair the way it is!"

"Please?" she pleaded. She made a puppy-dog face and an actual tear rolled down her cheek.

"No!"

"Pretty please?"

"No!"

"But it would look really good."

"Not gonna happen."

"But I'm good at it. I wouldn't make you look bad."

"You're not cutting my hair. No. Not happening."

She shrugged and smiled, "Oh, well. You have to sleep sometime."

"Oh, God."

A/N Will he have his hair cut? Who knows?


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Back at the hotel, all four of them were exhausted and ready to fall anywhere that was soft enough. They stepped through the main doors and saw a familiar brown-haired boy standing at the front desk. Aunt Sarah said something and he nodded and turned around. The group would have remembered his eyes anywhere; Emerald Brooklyn.

Leila glared at him. He glared back and walked toward them.

"Well, well, well," he said, "If it isn't the little lovebirds. Congratulations on getting together. Knew you would."

"Stop pretending to care, Brooklyn," Eric growled, "We know you don't care."

"Hey, I apologized for that, but you had to go and try to beat the crap out of me."

"With good reason, asshole."

Emerald looked at Leila and Eric put his arm protectively around her waist.

"I'm not gonna try anything this time. It was just a bad one time thing. You don't have to worry about that."

"Can't trust you now can I?"

Emerald shrugged.

"Can't make you trust me if you don't," he said.

"Damn right."

"But I really am sorry. I'm just not used to being turned down."

Leila smiled, "Well, get used to it."

Sam patted Eric's shoulder, "Don't get in a fight in here. I'm going to bed."

Eric nodded, "If he tries to feel her up, I'll kill him. I'm not kidding."

Emerald rolled his eyes, "I'm not gonna try to feel her up."

"Again," Eric muttered.

Leila crossed her arms and leaned more into Eric, "Why would you do something like that anyway?"

He shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "I don't really know. I just got too carried away."

Eric wound his arm tighter around Leila's waist and used his free hand to grab her right hand.

Emerald smiled, looked down briefly, and stepped back a step, "Well, I have to get some sleep, so... night."

Leila nodded silently and watched him make his way to the elevator. She looked up at Eric and smiled.

"You're crushing my waist, hun," she said.

"Sorry." He tried to pull his arm away, but she grabbed his hand.

"No. It's fine."

He smiled and they started back toward their room. When they were in the elevator, Eric leaned down and kissed the spot just in front of her ear. She smiled at him and turned in his arms to face him.

"You just think I'll make out with you in an elevator," she said.

"Well, that's not what I was thinking in the first place."

"What were you thinking then?"

"I was thinking how stupid I was."

"What?"

"Before we started being together."

"Why would you think you were stupid?"

"Because, I never got up the guts to ask you out before."

"That doesn't make you stupid, that makes you shy. That's not a bad thing."

"I should have asked you sooner."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. Just shut up."

"Why?"

"Because I can't kiss you very well if you don't."

"Okay, I'll shut up, but you better make it quick, we only have one more floor."

She laughed and kissed his shoulder.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," he laughed.

"Sorry."

He put his index finger under her chin and made her face him. He put his hand behind her head and pulled her face tightly to his. The bell dinged when they got to their floor, but they didn't hear it until they heard an elderly woman gasp.

"Sorry," they both said sheepishly, walking out of the elevator.

"Heathens," the woman said, making Leila and Eric burst out laughing.

"We're really sorry about that, ma'am," Eric said, keeping his face carefully straight. Leila grasped his hand. The elderly woman tilted her head away from them rudely and walked into the elevator, glaring as the doors shut.

"Nice night to you, too!" he called sarcastically, "Okay, could she be anymore rude?"

Leila shrugged, "Old people freak me out. They're so... old... and wrinkly."

"You're afraid of old people?"

"Not afraid, just freaked out."

"Of all the things we hunt that you could be afraid of, you've picked old people?"

"Hey," she said, stepping in front of him, "Don't make fun of me about this. I'm serious. My worst fear is being trapped in a small room with a fourty year old man."

"I'm not trying to make fun of you, you're just the first person I've met with a fear of old people."

"You're doing it again. You're making me feel stupid about it."

He pulled her closer to him, "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to make you feel stupid. Why are you afraid of them?"

She lowered her head slightly, "Well, to make a long story short, my best friend's uncle came to town from... somewhere in Michigan, I don't know... and she and her mom left me in a room with him because her dad was in the hospital, and they wanted to visit him. And... well... I can't really explain the rest, all I know is I blacked out, and when I woke up I was in bed and I didn't have my clothes."

Eric was shocked. This older man had raped her. What the hell was wrong with people?

"He raped you? And then that Emerald guy touched your chest. God, I can't blame you for being afraid of old people. I'm sorry. What happened to the guy?"

"He died of a heart attack the same day. And my friend blamed it on me."

"And who was this 'friend' of yours?" he asked, getting mad at whoever did this.

"Eric, if you think I'm going to tell you just so you can go kill someone, you're wrong. It's the past, and I can't change it."

"I wasn't going to kill anyone. But this guy raped you and your friend didn't do anything for you about it. The least she could have done was help you."

"I appreciate that you worry about me, but you can't always protect me."

"I can try."

"Thank you," she said, leaning her head into his chest.

"Hey, lovebirds," someone said from behind Eric. Leila looked up and grimaced, and Eric spun around.

"What the hell?" Eric said, "Are you following us, Brooklyn?"

Emerald set his bag down next to him, "No, if I were following you, I'd know why you both look like Hell."

"Well, can't you just read our minds?" Leila snapped.

"Trust me, I..." he paused and his face softened as he looked at Eric, "I... I'm sorry about your mom."

Eric cleared his throat, "Thanks, but I'm fine, and I'm not sure how much that means coming from you."

"Look, I know I'm not in the 'trust zone' or anything after what I did, but I lost my whole family to your sister a couple years back. I know how it feels."

"My sister killed your family?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. She killed a lot, huh?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Ah, don't worry about it. But you're sure she's gone?"

"Yeah, we're sure."

"You're positive?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Leila looked up at Eric, "We'd better get some sleep. I intend to go back to that restaurant tomorrow, with or without you."

"Sad part is," Eric said, "She'd do it."

"What about a restaurant?" Emerald asked.

Eric looked down at Leila, "You go to bed, and I'll explain to Emerald. Okay?"

She nodded, "But I'm not gonna leave the light on for you."

"I won't be too long."

She smiled and walked toward their room, leaving the two boys standing there.

Emerald smiled, "She's something else, isn't she?"

"She is. Hands off. Seriously."

"Don't worry, I won't touch her."

"Good. Anyway, about the restaurant. There was a girl killed in Barcelona's a few years back, and she's been killing girls her age since then. We went there the other day and the girl apparently possesses the girls before she kills them. She got to Leila and almost killed her, but we got there first. I thought it was actually her; I didn't know she was possessed, and she started saying these things about how I didn't love her, and all that. That's how she got that scar under her jaw. Then I got a call from Ariah, my sister, saying she was gonna kill my mother, and I told Leila she couldn't go, so we broke up."

"And that's relevant to the case, how?"

"I don't know. Just saying."

"Uh-huh. And now you're back together?"

"Yep."

"You can't keep your hands off each other for more than one day, can you?"

"Okay, awkward."

"Just a question."

"A question that I'm not gonna answer."

"Okay, okay, fine."

"Good. Now, I'm gonna go to bed. Hopefully before she shuts the light off."

"Alright. Later, man."

"Later."

Emerald watched Eric walk toward his room and muttered under his breath, "I don't think she's gone for good, dude."

He walked into his own room and locked the door.

A/N This was a little longer than I expected it to be. Hope it was worth it, though. Please review.


	22. Chapter 22

**Apology**

Hey, all. Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been having issues. My uncle died a few months ago and I got caught doing something I probably shouldn't have. So, my mom put me in a psych ward and my dad just pulled me out, because he doesn't think psych wards actually help. Now I'm not allowed to go anywhere without family and I'm only allowed 30 minutes on the computer at a time. Sorry again. I promise to post eventually.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

**Hey, all. I'm back. Sorry I couldn't post more earlier. But here it is.**

When he got into their room, he saw Leila playing with Isis and smiled. "Hey."

"Hey there." She stood up and walked over to him, kissing his chest. "I'm sorta starting to think he might not be as bad as he seemed."

"I'm thinking the same thing," he said, pushing her over to the bed. She pulled his t-shirt over his head, running her fingers over his strong chest and reaching for the buckle on his belt. He grabbed her hands, kissed her palms, and pulled her up into the bed, placing her head on the pillows. He kissed her neck, listening to her heavy sighs as her hips bucked beneath his. "You should get some sleep, Love. Tomorrow's a big day."

"Eric, please," she cried softly, holding his head to her neck.

He groaned and sat up, pulling her hands from around his neck. "No. It's tempting, but no." He stood and walked into the bathroom as she sat up.

She bit her lip and tried to control her breathing as she pulled the blankets over her body, feeling instantly bereft. She turned onto her side and pulled her knees up to her chest. After a few moments, Eric came back out and she avoided looking at him.

"Lei?" She covered her head with the blankets. "Are you okay?"

"I feel stupid."

"Why?"

"For what I just did."

"Why would you feel stupid for something like that?"

"I should've known you'd want to wait."

He sighed and sat down next to her, pulling the blankets down to her shoulders. "Of course I want to wait. I want to wait until we _know_ we'll be together forever. I don't want to start something we might not finish."

She rolled over to look at him. "I know. That's why I feel horrible."

"Well, don't. Okay?"

She nodded. "Will you at least stay over here tonight? I'm feeling a bit paranoid right now."

"Sure." She pulled the blankets back and he crawled under. She leaned her head on his chest and pulled the sheets up. "Better?"

"Yes. Hey, Eric?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever had sex with anyone?"

He thought for a minute. "No. Why?"

"Just wondering."

"Alright."

They laid there in silence for a few minutes. "Hey, Eric?"

"Yes?"

"How many girls have you been with before me?"

"Two."

"Two?"

"Yeah."

"Wow."

"Wow?"

"Yeah. You seem like the kind of guy who'd have girls flocking to date you."

"Nope. Not really. But even if I did have girls 'flocking to date me', I'd still trade all those dates for a lifetime with you."

She smiled and pressed herself tighter into him. Another few minutes of silence passed before she decided to speak again. "Hey, Eric?"

"Mm-hm?"

"I love you."

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too, baby."

She bit her lip and fell asleep on his chest not long after.

A/N There. Done. HA! Please review.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

_Leila opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a long corridor. It was dark, damp, and cold. She stood up and wrapped her arms tightly over her chest. "Eric?" she called out. No one answered. She started to feel a little afraid as she began walking. "Eric? Sam? Dean?" Her voice grew small, scared. "Somebody?" She heard laughter. "Hello? Who's there?" No answer. "HEY! Answer me!"_

_A low growl came from behind her and she whirled around to face the darkness. The growling got closer and she turned and started running. After what seemed like hours, she slipped in something thick and wet. She pushed herself up and continued slowly until she found an open door with a light on. The liquid shone in the light and she covered her mouth. "Aw, God." Torrents of blood covered the floors and she carefully approached the door. What she saw made her heart drop and her eyes well up. Eric's body was lying in the floor, almost completely drained of blood. Sam, Dean, and Isis' bodies were lying just a few yards away, also drained. She collapsed in the blood, tears streaming down her face. Ariah appeared behind her and shoved a knife through her body._

* * *

Leila shot up in bed, screaming. Eric sat up next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Lei? What's wrong?"

She burried her face in his shoulder and cried. "Please don't die, Eric! Please don't leave me!"

Sam and Dean walked into the room, guns ready. "What happened?!" Dean shouted.

Leila stood up and ran to Dean, flinging her arms around his waist. "I don't want you guys to die!!" Dean pulled her arms from around him and looked down at her.

"What happened?" Sam asked calmly.

She sat next to Eric, who immediately wrapped his arm around her waist, and told the whole story. She leaned her head on Eric's shoulder and he repeatedly kissed the top of her head. "Guys," she croaked, "I don't think Ariah's dead. And I don't want you guys to die." Isis jumped on the bed and licked her knee.

Dean sighed. "Well, I don't think she'll be back anytime soon. But... don't worry, okay? We'll keep an eye out. We'll be careful, I promise."

"Yeah," Sam agreed, "Nothing's gonna happen to us if we don't want it to."

"None of us will be dying anytime soon, baby, okay?" Eric said.

She nodded and pulled her knees up to her chest. There was a knock on the door and Sam stood up to answer it. Emerald walked in and looked at Leila, worry written on his face. "Did you see it, too?"

"See what?" she asked.

"The room. With... with the blood and... everything."

She nodded. "Why?"

"I'm so sorry. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep that from happening. I know you don't like me... well at all... but, I don't want to see you hurting that bad."

Leila sighed and smiled weakly. "What makes you think we'll trust you?" Eric asked.

"I don't expect you to trust me. Just listen. I know where she's going next. Eric, pick up your phone. Five..."

He picked up his phone.

"Four... three... two... one."

Right then, his phone started ringing.

"It's Ariah," Emerald said, "Choose your words wisely, she's pissed."

Eric answered his phone. "Ariah."

"Eric."

"I'd appreciate it if you'd stop scaring Leila."

"Why should I? She deserves it. She and your little posse there ruined my plan. So, I have a new idea. Tell your wingman to back off."

"What wingman?"

"I know he's there. Emerald Brooklyn."

Eric glanced at Emerald, who shook his head. "Sorry. No can do."

"I'm not kidding, Eric. If you don't want anyone else to die, you'll do as I say. If he stays, he'll die, too."

"Well, we'll see, won't we?"

"Don't fool with me right now. You're first on my list, dear brother."

"Can I ask you something?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued. "How fast can four geniuses and Dean take you down?" He hung up and looked at Dean's furious face. "What?"

" 'Four geniuses and Dean'? What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, from what I've seen, Sam's the brains of the outfit."

Sam, Leila, and Emerald laughed.

"Just kidding, man."

"Jerk."

"I know. I am."

**A/N Had to do it. Hope you enjoyed. Please review.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Leila stood up and walked over to the window, looking at her watch impatiently. The boys had been gone for over seven hours now, and she was beginning to worry. Isis sat quietly on the bed and watched Leila.

"Come on, guys," she said softly, "Come home now."

She jumped as a quiet knock sounded through the room. She quickly grabbed one of Eric's many guns and walked over to the door.

"Leila?" It was Aunt Sarah. Leila quickly stashed the gun and opened the door. "Hello, Dear," she said, handing Leila a package, "This just came for you."

"Who's it from?" Leila asked, not seeing a name on it."

"I don't know. They didn't give me a name."

"Okay, thanks."

Aunt Sarah smiled and nodded before shutting the door.

Leila sighed and sat on the bed with the package. "Who do you think it's from, Isis?" She slowly broke through the tape and lifted the lid of the box. Inside was a horrifyingly familiar object... Eric's golden skull necklace. And it was covered in blood. Her hand flew to her mouth and she picked up a sheet of paper and unfolded it.

"Leila," it said, "I hope you're smarter than you seem and are able to figure out what this means. Guess what? I win. Ariah."

"Guess what?" Leila said, "No, you don't." She went to the bathroom, wiped off the blood, and placed it around her own neck. She picked up a duffle bag and filled it with whatever weapons the boys had left. "Come on, Isis," she said. Isis jumped down off the bed and followed her.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Eric looked in the backseat at Dean, who was still unconscious from the battle with Ariah. They had lost yet again, and only Sam managed to leave unscathed. Dean was suffering from minor head injuries, four deep gashes to his abdomen, and a broken arm. Emerald was almost as bad. He had a dislocated shoulder, a broken wrist, broken nose, and three or four broken ribs. Eric was a little worse for wear. A broken leg, three broken ribs, possible internal bleeding, and a fractured hip bone, he himself was amazed he was still awake.

"Listen, Sam," he said, "I'm really sorry about Dean. I thought we'd caught her off guard. I should have been a lot more careful."

"Don't worry. Dean'll be okay. He's suffered a lot worse than that. Emerald, you okay back there?"

Emerald gave a thumbs up and sneezed. "OWWW!"

Sam bit his lip to keep from laughing. "What about you, Eric?"

"I've been better." He hissed in pain as they went over a bump. "Pain!" His phone rang and he carefully pulled it out of his pocket. "It's Lei." He flipped it open. "Leila?"

"Oh, thank God. I knew she was lying."

"Who was lying? About what?"

"Ariah sent me a package with your skull chain in it, and it was all bloody. But I knew she was lying, because the clasp wasn't broken. And that meant she didn't pull it off."

He felt around his neck. "Oh. I didn't even realize it was gone. Huh. Where are you?"

"In Emerald's car. I'm gonna go hunt that girl down. Don't worry, I have help." He heard Isis bark in the background.

"Leila, no! She's just a dog!"

"She won't get hurt. She's gonna stay in the car, I promise."

"But _you_ could get hurt, Leila!"

"No, I have a plan. Ariah's a demon, right?"

"Leila, don't--"

"Sorry, Eric, I've already found her. I'll call you soon, okay?"

"Leila, please--"

"Love you." She hung up.

"Sam, we have to go back," Eric begged, "I think Leila's in trouble."

"And do what?" he asked. "You have a broken leg, Emerald's no use, and Dean's out cold. How could we help her? If we go back and Leila's fighting Ariah, we'd just get in the way."

"Sam, please."

"No. We'll get you three to a hospital first, and then I'll go back for Leila. No negotiations on this one, kid, sorry."

"But she--"

"No."

Eric grumbled something and sat back. "By the way, Emerald, she's driving your car."

"WHAAT?!" He moaned. "Stop that!"

"I'm serious. And Isis is with her."

Emerald sighed. Sam got the three to a hospital and got them checked in before he went back to the last place he'd seen Ariah. When he got there, he saw Leila and Ariah fighting near the edge of the woods. Leila collapsed to the ground, covering her head with her hands, and Sam grabbed a gun. A blinding light flashed in front of him and he had to cover his eyes. Ariah screamed and the light suddenly went away.

"Sammy!" Leila shouted, walking toward him, "What the Hell are you doing here?"

"Eric was worried about you. What just happened?"

"I got rid of Ariah for good this time. Although, it did take quite a bit out of me. So, I'll follow you to wherever Eric is, then I'll say hi, and then I'll find someplace to crash. How is Eric? And Emerald and Dean?"

"Not too bright," he laughed.

She chuckled. "How so?"

"You should see them. Eric broke his leg, and possibly a few ribs, Dean was out cold. He has a broken arm. And Emerald. Oh, God, he broke his nose, dislocated his shoulder, snapped his wrist in half, and broke some ribs. I'm the only one that didn't get hurt... other than you, of course."

She laughed. "Sounds like you all had a fun time?"

"Eh."

"How'd you manage not to get hurt?"

"I don't know. It could either have been the fact that Dean kept jumping in front of me at just the right time, or maybe because she didn't really go after me. Ever." He shrugged. "We'll never know."

"Dean kept jumping in front of you?"

He laughed as she threw her bag in the backseat of Emerald's car. "Well, actually he more like got thrown in front of me by Ariah"

She laughed. "Joy. So, I'll follow you, then."

"Okay."

* * *

She followed Sam to the hospital and made Isis stay in the car. When she was sure Eric was in his room, she went to visit him.

"Hey," she said when she saw him. His casted leg was up on two pillows, and his upper body was bandaged, along with his hips. "Boy," she laughed, "Sam wasn't kidding, was he? You look like Hell!"

"Yeah, shuddup."

She sat in a chair next to him. "So, who's your favorite waitress?"

He looked confused. "Huh?"

"I just got rid of Ariah." She looked very proud of herself.

He smiled skeptically. "You?"

"Yes. I did. Proud?"

"Heh. How?"

"Some spell I found in a book Emerald left."

"You took a spell from Emerald's book?! That could've killed you, Leila! You don't know what kind of stuff his spells can do!" He grimaced at the pain that flashed through his chest.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Who cares? I'm not dead, I'm not hurt-- well except for the parts where Ariah kept hitting me, but that's not that bad-- I'm just tired. So, kiss me and I'll go get some sleep."

He glared, put his hand behind her neck, and pulled her face tightly to his own. He kissed her hard, wanting her to realize how much he hated it when she went off on her own. He was quickly getting more and more tired by the second, and Leila seemed to realize it. She pulled away and sighed.

"You need to get some sleep as well, baby," she laughed, "I'll see you tomorrow." With that, she stood and left.

He had just started to get to sleep, when he heard several gunshots and people screaming.

* * *

Eric shot up in bed, sweat pouring down his face. He was in his old motel room, and Isis was lying next to him, sleeping soundly. He moved the blanket and looked at his leg. It wasn't broken.

"What the Hell?"

**A/N Betcha didn't see that one coming. Right?**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

"This can't be happening!" He looked around. It was most definitely his motel room. He jumped as his phone rang. He quickly flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Eric, it's Jack. Gotta case for you."

"Jack?"

"Uh... yeah... who else would it be?" Jack laughed. "Anyway. Couple people got kidnapped a couple days ago. Girl and a boy. The evidence points to a wendigo, which means they're probably in a cave somewhere. You up for this?"

"Jack?"

"What?"

"Does this seem familiar to you?"

"Huh? You feelin' okay, man? I can get someone else to do this for you."

"This just seems to familiar."

"Oooookaaay. Uh, maybe you should lay off for a while."

He shook his head and rubbed his forehead. "No, I can do this. See what you can find out about Sam and Dean Winchester. See if they really exist."

"Of course they exist. Pops met them a few weeks ago."

Eric groaned. "Okay. See you later, then."

He flipped the phone closed and stood up, grabbing his duffle bag.

"Isis, I'm gonna make a pit stop." Isis lifted her head up and sneezed. "Bless you."

He walked out to his old motorcycle and climbed on, heading straight for the old caves. He freed the girl and boy, dealt with his idiot-demon brother, and waited for Sam and Dean at the opening to the cave. They never showed. So, he went to the restaurant, alone, and looked for Leila.

"Aw, shit," she said, "It's you again."

"Leila, please, just listen," he begged.

Her face softened. "Okay, sure. What's going on?" She led him to an open booth and sat across from him. "So, spill."

"I swear today has happened before. Only, last time, I met these two guys... Sam and Dean Winchester. And today, they didn't show up. I don't know what's happening to me." He looked down at his shaking hands. "And Joe hit on you, and I got mad, and Ariah tried to kill us, and we met this guy, Emerald, and he kissed you, and I got mad again, and a bunch of other stuff happened, and we heard about this restaurant, and it was haunted, and you looked... uh... anyway, and you almost killed yourself, and Mum died, and... uh... some other stuff happened..."

"Eric, slow down," she laughed, "Tell me the stuff you're skipping over. Why'd you get mad when he kissed me? Was he cute?"

Eric sighed and glared at her.

"Right. Sorry. Continue."

"I fell in love with you, Leila. We kissed, and we almost slept together, and you were it for me."

"Okay, now I know something's wrong."

"LEILA, PLEASE, I'M FREAKING OUT HERE!!"

"Alright, alright." She stood up. "Makky, I'm going out for a while."

"'Kay."

She pulled Eric up by his hand. "Let's go see if Jack can trace those two down."

"Wait!" He pulled out his cell phone and scanned through his contacts list until he found Dean's number. "I knew it had to have happened."

Leila's face paled.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"If you have Dean Winchester's number... then that means... we... we really did... kiss!" She made a gagging sound.

"That's not what you said in the hotel that night," he informed her.

"Did we...? Uh..."

"Almost."

"Ugh!"

He shook his head and pressed send. Dean answered after the third ring. "Hello?"

"Dean?"

There was a moment of silence. "Who is this?"

"It's Eric... please tell me you remember?"

"Uh... sorry, no."

"Please just listen." He told Dean the whole story from the time they met to the time he heard the gun shots.

"Wow... that's uh..."

"Lemme talk to Sam."

"Not gonna happen."

"Please, Dean. This is important."

Dean sighed and Eric heard him whisper, "The dude's insane, Sam."

"Dean, shut it," Sam said, "Hello?"

"Sam! Good. Okay. Now, this is gonna sound weird, but--"

"I know what you're talking about."

"But, I didn't say anything."

"I'm going through the same thing. The last thing I remember is driving Leila to the hospital to see how you were doing after your little incident with Ariah. You broke your leg, your hip, and a few ribs. Dean was knocked out. Then Leila got shot."

"WHAT?!"

"Oh, right, you didn't know."

"She got shot?!"

"That's what I said. Anyway, whadda you think's causing this? Trickster, maybe?"

"I don't know, but I want it fixed. Leila doesn't remember anything. At all."

She shrugged. "Sorry, man."

"Okay, we'll find a way to fix this, and I promise I'll talk to Dean."

"Cool, thanks."

"No problem, man. Meet us at the restaurant, okay?"

"Alright, see you here."

"Later."

He hung up and looked at Leila. "What?" he asked.

"I can't believe I almost slept with you. That's disgusting."

"Hey, you don't even remember it, so shut up."

She glared at him. "I bet you couldn't even kiss. I was probably faking that I liked it."

He shrugged. "Who knows? But you sure didn't stop squirming that night."

"UUUUGH!!"

He sighed. He really wished she'd remember at least that.

"Hey, Eric?"

"What, Leila?"

"You really do think this stuff happened. Don't you?"

"Yes. I do. I know it did."

She nodded and punched his arm. "Well, I think you're weird. So, now we're even. Right?"

He groaned and walked to the other side of the parking lot. She growled and followed him.

"Hey! I was kidding, man!"

He whirled around to face her. "This isn't a joke, Leila! I'm being completely serious! I'm freaking out here, the least you could do is be nice about it!"

She nodded. "I'm sorry, Eric. It's just too weird, okay? I promise I'll be nice." She held out her hand. "Deal?"

"Cool," he said, shaking her hand as Sam and Dean pulled into the parking lot. Sam stepped out of the car and walked over to Eric. "Sam, I thought you might think I was nuts or something."

Sam shook his head. "Nope. Dean thought I was insane, though."

"Well, it's just that weird."

"THANK YOU!!" Leila shouted.

Sam and Eric exchanged irritated looks before slapping Dean and Leila on the back of the head.

"OWW!" they yelled.

**A/N Okay, weird chapter ending. But in my defense, it's 9:09 at night, and my girlfriend and her best friend are having issues. Please review and tell me what you think.**


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